Source : Perth Now news
A racing watchdog has been accused of parliamentary contempt regarding documents relating to grave misconduct allegations.
NSW Greyhound Welfare and Integrity Commission’s repeated provision of delayed, and incomplete documents on Wednesday formed the focus of a state inquiry.
MP Emma Hurst in 2025 sought documents relating to bullying and harassment within the independent body.
Acting chief executive Matthew Tutt on Wednesday afternoon admitted the commission’s resulting submissions to parliament were, in cases, inadequate and delayed.
Documents at the heart of the inquiry, seen by AAP, contained serious allegations against senior staff of the government agency.
One employee allegedly received unwanted massaging from a male coworker during a meeting.
Another member complained a senior steward found and discussed social media photos picturing a job candidate in a bikini.
In the context of an end-of-year pool party, the steward also allegedly asked if a colleague would wear a “one piece or a bikini” – and how much it would cost to have her “leave (her) hair down”.
He was also accused of saying n***er in the workplace, “rude” behaviour, and labelling a staff member a “nagging b***h”.
The parliament’s Privileges Committee will continue to examine the returns and non-compliance. Members are probing whether the commission’s non-compliance constituted contempt of parliament.
Under questioning on Wednesday Mr Tutt conceded early keyword searches for documents were inadequate but argued ensuing, and more substantive efforts were made.
Ms Hurst on Wednesday also questioned why the commission had returned documents containing the name of one of the complainants, while some of those under investigation were redacted.
Mr Tutt said he was unaware of the specific document, but said he would not handle documents the same way again.
Nationals MP Wes Fang put to the boss that so-called “delayed compliance” amounted to “non-compliance”.
Mr Tutt said he accepted that, but rejected any allegations the non-compliance constituted contempt of parliament.
“For a finding of contempt by this committee there’s got to be a wilful– … there was never a deliberate intention of the commission to not provide those documents,” he said.
“This is not a case that this house and perhaps other privileges committees are confronted with where documents are simply not given.”
The privileges committee is working toward a findings report on the matter.
Ms Hurst told AAP she wanted to see Racing Minister David Harris pull the commission “into line”.
“How on earth can we expect GWIC to police the greyhound racing industry, when it cannot even police itself?” the Animal Justice Party MP said.
“GWIC is a mess… [it] should be held to the highest standards around transparency and accountability – instead, it has been nothing but obstructive.
“The public has a right to know that allegations of abuse and harassment are investigated properly, regardless of who is accused.”
The commission’s Acting Chief Commissioner Natalie Marsic said because the matter was currently before the Privileges Committee it was not appropriate to comment further at this time.
