Changing the culture

• It is not sufficient simply to run are-training course and hope that Bad Apples will change their behaviour. Bad Apples do not understand their own behaviour. That is the problem. Any re-training course must be demonstrated to change the behaviour of Bad Apple administrators.
• Not all Education Queensland administrators are Bad Apples, but all Education Queensland administrators need to be trained to recognise a Bad Apple and to resist Bad Apple strategies. They particularly need to be trained to recognise and to resist the attempts of the Bad Apple to suck them into a mob.
• Education Queensland has an obligation to ensure that teachers are not treated negligently by Bad Apple administrators. The High Court of Australia recently stated that an employer has an obligation to take reasonable steps to provide a safe system of work. This duty is not discharged by delegation unless the delegate in fact provides the reasonable care which the employer was under an obligation to bring to bear. In Fuller V. New South Wales Department of School Education and training (2004) NSWCA 242 (16 July 2004) the court noted that the employer has a duty to take account of the possibility of inadvertent or negligent conduct of employees. QTU Journal 25/11/2004, p. 17

* Times of management change are times when workplace bullying tends to flourish, possibly because the Bad Apple is slightly overwhelmed and is reacting impulsively rather than rationally. The risk of abuse is compounded when the Bad Apple has selected a compliant and easily manipulated "off-sider". All Education Queensland employees appointed to "acting" positions should be required to read and sign the Education Queensland Code of Conduct at the very least. They should clearly understand that they are expected to act in accordance with Education Queensland policies at all times.

• Let's Deal With The bad Apples recognises that there is a problem with the abuse of Section 85 to bully public servants. But there does need to be an effective process in place to deal with the problem of a principal who has a mental health problem. At the moment there is no official process by which a teacher can report a concern about the mental health of a school principal. This situation exposes teachers and children to the risk of harm.
• The interests of classroom teachers are not properly represented when new policies are being developed and evaluated. Administrators are represented by the principals' associations and the QTU. Classroom teachers are only represented 50% by the QTU. The QTU have a conflict of interest because they represent the interests of administrators and classroom teachers. So Education Queensland policies are largely developed by administrators to protect the interests of administrators.

* Bad Apples are promoting Bad Apples. The merit selection process needs to be re-thought to identify and "weed out" Bad Apples. Questions should be asked to identify the communicative style of the applicant. Applicants for promotion should be required to show evidence that they have a collaborative management style.

• Are too many semi-literate glib talkers being promoted? Does the merit selection process need to be re-balanced? Are problems being caused by Education Queensland administrators who are not keen readers and writers? Are they are not thinking very clearly? Are their decisions are too emotional and impulsive? Greater emphasis needs to be placed on selecting administrators who can think, listen, read and write effectively.
• It is too easy for a Bad Apple to destroy a teacher by falsifying meeting notes. It needs to be Education Queensland policy that any meeting to discuss performance issues is tape recorded.
• Any document placed on a teacher's file should be of a professional standard. The document should be dated, signed and the name of the person/people concerned should be clearly stated. The document should be typed or written in pen. The meaning of the document should be clear to the reader.
• Before a document is placed on a teacher's file the teacher should sign to indicate that she/he has sighted the document. Any later comments or responses should be typed or written in pen, dated and signed.
• There is a need for the development of a form that administrators are required to complete when they are legitimately following the Education Queensland process of placing a teacher on Diminished Workplace performance. This form would structure the thinking and the behaviour of the administrator. The form should be signed and dated at every stage of the process by the teacher concerned. A form of this nature would help to protect Education Queensland from complaints of negligent and malicious abuse of the DWP process.
• One Queensland teacher claims that she was put on the DWP in two days by a bad Apple. She claims that her complaint about this abuse of several Education Queensland policies has now taken almost four years to investigate. Months pass with no progress. She further claims that, in the meantime, the Bad Apple has been promoted and that many other teachers have now been negligently exposed to abuse.
• Is it Education Queensland policy to promote a Bad Apple when a complaint is made about their abusive behaviour?

Is it Education Queensland policy to investigate claims of workplace bullying and harassment very, very slowly and reluctantly?

• Once a year the back page of the QTU Journal should contain an evaluation form for each member to complete and mail to an external agency to evaluate the effectiveness of the service that the QTU organisers are offering. Teachers pay large membership fees. Do they get value for money? Are the organisers responsive to their needs? Do teachers get effective support?
• Each year the role of the QTU solicitor should be evaluated. Who is being given legal advice? Who is being refused legal advice? Why? How many teachers are being sent threatening letters by the QTU solicitors each year? Is the QTU solicitor largely employed to threaten classroom teachers?
• Is the QTU too big? Do organisers and senior officers take on too many roles? Is too much time and energy wasted on political posturing?
• Are (older) women teachers experiencing discrimination? Are older women teachers being bullied into early retirement?
• Why do so many younger teachers leave the profession?
• Is it a good idea to have administrators and teachers in the same union? Who benefits? For example, when an administrator bullies a teacher the QTU considers it to be a member versus member situation. The teacher is given no support. Who does this policy benefit?

* The QTU Code of Ethics states that "teachers shall assert their professional, industrial and civil rights and support their colleagues in the defence of these rights". Bad Apples who abuse Education Queensland policies to bully teachers are in breech of the QTU Code of Ethics. Classroom teachers' union dues should not be used to protect Bad Apple Bully administrators. Administrators found to be in breech of the QTU Code of Ethics should forfeit the benefits of union membership.

• Are organisers selected because they are good at shouting other people down at meetings? Do organisers have the patience and the experience needed to deal with a member in distress? Do we need two types of organisers- one group to talk confidently at groups of QTU members, and a different group of organisers to listen to members and help them deal with problems such as workplace bullying?
• There is a need for a lobby group to properly represent the interests of classroom teachers when new policies are being developed, etc. Principals are represented at these meetings by their associations and by the QTU. Classroom teachers are only represented 50% by the QTU. The QTU have a conflict of interest when they represent the interests of classroom teachers.

The Queensland Public Service

Are the CMC and the Ombudsman understaffed? Let's Deal With The Bad Apples has the general impression that these departments are "snowed under" and unable to deal effectively with the volume of complaints that they receive. This is a bully-friendly situation.

The Queensland Government

Let's Deal With The Bad Apples believes that whistleblowers have an important role to play in the community and that their role in facilitating change needs to be recognised and celebrated. Let's Deal With the Bad Apples suggests that the Queensland Government celebrate "Whistleblower's Day" each year and reward a "Whistleblower of the year" whose whistleblowing activites have advanced the development of the Smart State. Whistleblowers can make our state smarter.