Moira Shire Council and the Australian Services Union have met to discuss damning allegations made by the union last week of a “toxic and appalling workplace culture”.

The union surveyed 40 of its members earlier this year, out of a total workforce of 280.

Results showed that 78 per cent of respondents felt the situation was getting worse or much worse, and 68 per cent said they had experienced threats, violence or intimidation at work.

Only five per cent were satisfied with how management handled reports of threats.

But council chief executive Matthew Morgan said the results contradicted two council surveys, which showed improvements in key areas.

He said significant progress had been made over the past 12 to 18 months, which was supported by the objective data.

A Commission of Inquiry into Moira Shire Council was conducted in 2022 after years of unstable and erratic leadership, poor governance and financial mismanagement.

Accusations of bullying, harassment, threats, intimidation and unsubstantiated allegations culminated in the murder of operations manager Rick Devlin in August 2021 by another employee.

In its February 2023 report, the Commission of Inquiry described a “catastrophic governance failure” dominated for five consecutive terms by former mayor Libro Mustica, a supporting group of councillors, and an inexperienced chief executive, with little knowledge or understanding of Victorian local government statutory requirements.

The inquiry exposed a culture rife with mismanagement, neglect of occupational health and safety responsibilities, and the wilful misuse of flawed disciplinary processes against employees.

It predicted workers’ compensation claims would increase from $130,000 in 2021-22 to $2.25 million in 2023-24.

Mr Morgan said, in the past two years, Moira Shire Council had appointed a new chief executive, completely refreshed its executive and senior management team, and worked with the ASU to develop policies and procedures in human resources.

“It’s almost a complete refresh of the leadership structure at council,” he said.

“One of the things that we've invested heavily in across the organisation is a focus on updating and reviewing our policies and procedures where it comes to People and Culture.

“We partnered with the Australian Services Union to work on a 12-month program, in consultation with the employee consultative committee.

“That involved retraining sessions with all staff, but particularly with leadership staff, all staff who have supervisory responsibilities.”

Mr Morgan said he couldn’t undo what had happened in the past, but that a line in the sand had been drawn in 2024.

“What we've been implementing, including the work we did with the ASU, is starting to show green shoots around the organisation, to show that things are moving in the right direction,” he said.

“But it’s going to be a long journey … any time you get a group of people together, you’re not going to have everyone on the same page.”

Since the claims from the ASU were published last week, several former council staff have spoken with the Yarrawonga Chronicle and said, despite the Commission of Inquiry, they felt nothing had changed.

They expressed dissatisfaction with the use of external consultants who “came from the outside, didn’t understand the issues, implemented cookie cutter ‘stupid’ ideas, and then left”.

There were claims that some members of the outdoor teams were unhappy with team building games, which they said were “ridiculous bull***t” and time wasting when they were understaffed.

Other accusations were job creep, being asked to do tasks that were above the band they were employed under without being fairly paid, and cronyism, where new positions were handed to existing staff without being advertised.

Mr Morgan said throughout 2024 a lot of work was done reviewing policies, developing values in consultation with the workforce, and having conversations around how those values were “lived and breathed”.

Wellbeing programs and wellbeing audits were introduced, and this year a quarterly Pulse Survey was implemented.

Of the council’s 280 staff, 54 responded to the March survey and 67 completed the June survey.

Mr Morgan said the findings directly contradicted ASU survey results, raising legitimate questions about the survey’s design and methodology.

In the March 2025 internal Pulse Survey, 68.52 per cent of respondents agreed they were treated with respect at work, and almost a quarter (22.2 per cent) did not.

In June, those figures were 74.63 and 14.93 per cent respectively.

In the March survey, just 59.25 per cent of respondents said they felt comfortable to speak up with ideas, thoughts and concerns.

By June that figure had risen to 73.13 per cent.

“At this stage, we have not been provided with a copy of the ASU survey,” Mr Morgan said.

“We were surprised by the release of the survey on May 12 and the subsequent media release on July 2, without consultation with us.

“While there is clear room for improvement, the Pulse Survey findings hardly portray the union’s claims of an unsafe workplace culture that leadership has failed to fix.

“I think the key figure here is the last one where 74.63 per cent, up from 61.11 per cent who agree they are proud to work at Moira Shire Council and would recommend the workplace to others.”

ASU VIC TAS secretary Tash Wark would not agree to be interviewed by the Yarrawonga Chronicle but provided a statement.

“While there’s still a long way to go, we’ve agreed to engage in further discussions to test whether there’s a genuine commitment to improving the situation,” Ms Wark said.

“The union remains concerned about the issues raised by workers, but we are willing to work through a process to ensure workers’ voices are heard and concerns are addressed.

“We’ve made it clear that staff wellbeing, safety and culture must be prioritised, that experiences vary across council and all these issues must be addressed to move forward.

“We’re open to constructive engagement, but we’re also realistic. Our focus remains on ensuring workers are safe, supported and heard.

“This process is just beginning, and the union will continue to advocate strongly for change.”

Mr Morgan said Monday’s meeting was a productive and positive discussion.

“We look forward to working with the ASU and others ... we have a shared interest in the wellbeing of our people and our workforce,” he said.

“There is still plenty to be done ... I’m not going to rest until I know that every team member feels safe when they come to the workplace, which means I want people to come in with 10 toes and 10 fingers and go home with 10 toes and 10 fingers.

“If they come into the workplace happy, I want them going home happy; that’s what we’re aiming for.”

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Monday, 21st August 2023

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