‘Unwanted massage’: Sexual harassment, bullying complaints at watchdog revealed

An unwanted massage during a critical work meeting, use of the “N-word” in the workplace and sharing bikini photos of a job applicant are among a tranche of complaints made by staff at the state’s greyhound racing regulator as it faces allegations of a toxic work culture.

The Herald can reveal details of some of the dozens of alleged incidents that the Greyhound Welfare and Integrity Commission (GWIC) fought to keep secret, only for state parliament to order the release of the papers.

In an alleged incident in January this year, staff were gathered to an all-day workshop organised to discuss the outcomes of the Drake inquiry into greyhound racing. As a result of that inquiry, Racing Minister David Harris had issued the GWIC with a statement of expectations with several directions to improve race safety and reporting.

During this meeting, an employee alleged that a more senior male approached a younger woman at her desk and began to massage her shoulders.

The incident made the woman feel “uncomfortable and uneasy”, and she confided in another staff member, internal GWIC documents said. Another staffer who saw the alleged incident said she was moved to speak up about the incident “because of the power imbalance”.

Names and positions of those involved are not known, as the GWIC redacted parts of the documents so as not, it said, to compromise ongoing investigations. Redactions refer to incidents dating from 2023.

In another incident under investigation, a staff member complained that a male coworker had found images from social media of a woman being considered for a job, who was wearing a bikini in the photo. The image was shared by the male staff member who said words to the effect of “she’s good-looking, we better hire her”.

A staff member is also alleged to have shown a female coworker a photo of a staff member at an overseas greyhound track he intended to visit, and said, “Are these the biggest puppies you’ve ever seen?”

In a stewards room at a racetrack, a staff member allegedly asked a woman: “how much would it cost for you to leave your hair down tonight, and I will pay”; and, while discussing Christmas party options, asked the same woman: “If we had a pool party would you wear a one-piece or a bikini?”

Another complaint alleged a worker used the “N-word” and laughed at racist jokes about Indigenous people in Alice Springs.

Numerous allegations were made by staff who felt undermined or shamed when asking senior staff for direction. One staff member was called a “f---ing idiot”, and another called a “nagging bitch”, allegations in the documents claim.

The documents were released to the Herald only after efforts by Animal Justice Party MP Emma Hurst to overturn the commission’s claims of privilege, which until now gagged MPs from sharing the contents of the complaints.

“The evidence in these documents paint a very bleak picture of the workplace culture at GWIC,” Hurst said.

“Complaints of extremely racist and sexist language and attitudes date back for many months and even years. Given the severity of the complaints, we must question the management and accountability within GWIC.”

Asked whether any staff had been stood down or removed from their positions as a result of these allegations, a GWIC spokesperson said they could not comment on ongoing investigations.

“The commission treats all allegations of misconduct extremely seriously and has formal processes in place when such allegations are made,” the spokesperson said. “The commission is committed to ensuring a safe, inclusive, positive and supportive workplace.”

A spokesman for Harris said that any allegation of misconduct is concerning but he would not comment on the outcomes of any specific incidents.

Last week, the Herald revealed that Premier’s Department secretary Simon Draper had intervened to order an urgent inquiry into the management, procedures and culture at the regulator. Consultancy firm Intersection, which also conducted the workplace culture review at Nine, owner of this masthead, was engaged to run the investigation.

The racing industry regulator is required to report to the minister by the end of next month with advice about improved reporting of greyhound rehoming, new minimum standards for kennels and other measures to comply with recommendations from the Drake report.

That report found not a single track in NSW had met all minimum safety standards since they were imposed in 2020.