Senior NSW Labor frontbencher Walt Secord has “unreservedly apologized” for his conduct, after a review into workplace culture at NSW parliament.
Mr Secord has acknowledged that he can be “too blunt and too direct in a fast-paced workplace”, especially with “strict deadlines and highly-stressful situations”.
“If any parliamentary staff members feel that my conduct in the workplace was unprofessional and caused offense or distress and was unacceptable, I unreservedly apologise,” he said in a statement.
Mr Secord’s statement followed an ABC investigation, in which several of Mr Secord’s current and former colleagues named him as having engaged in bullying behaviour.
They spoke to the ABC in light of the review by former sex discrimination commissioner Elizabeth Broderick into the workplace culture of the NSW parliament, which was today made public.
Of those spoken to by the ABC over the past week, five current politicians or former staffers said they had named Mr Secord when interviewed by Ms Broderick or her investigators.
In one submission to Ms Broderick’s investigation obtained by the ABC, a former staffer described the Shadow Police Minister as “a vicious manipulative bully who particularly targeted junior staff and young women”.
“At various times he used his position, size and voice to pressure, berate, intimidate and humiliate staff to get his own way, with no issue too petty to bring about one of his outbursts.”
The former staffer described an incident in late 2020 in which he claimed Mr Secord demanded the staff of then-Labor leader, Jodi McKay, send a media release within five minutes of him arriving in his office.
When one member of the office said they needed to send the release to another staffer for her to work on, Mr Secord allegedly replied: “I don’t want her anywhere f…ing near my release”, going on to describe her as “useless”.
According to the submission, when one person objected to the staffer — who was not present to hear the attack — being described as “useless” Mr Secord responded: “You always overstep the mark, you think you’re an MP.”
When others stepped in, Mr Secord allegedly said: “Let’s have it out.”
The submission says after the incident, Mr Secord was banned from Ms McKay’s office.
The account has been corroborated by others in, or walking by, the office at the time of the alleged incident.
In his statement, Mr Secord said “I do not have the same recollections from the staff in the former Leader’s office — especially in relation to raised voices in the workplace”.
The ABC has been contacted by several current NSW Labor MPs — from both the Legislative Assembly and the Legislative Council — and former staffers, who said that, in light of the Broderick review, the party needed to have a zero-tolerance policy towards bullying.
There is no suggestion Mr Secord’s alleged behavior involved any physical or sexual violence or harassment.
Several women in the caucus are planning to send a delegation to Mr Minns next week to discuss the issue of Mr Secord, and the broader culture of the Labor Party.
‘Swift action’ needed
A senior figure in the NSW Labor Party, Amanda Fazio, told the ABC one Labor MP had subjected staff to unacceptable behavior for years, but that no action had been taken.
The ABC understands the MP she was referring to was Mr Secord.
A former President of the Legislative Council, Ms Fazio urged Opposition Leader Chris Minns to take “swift action to remove this member from the ranks of the Labor team.”
Ms Fazio said: “The review by Elizabeth Broderick into bullying, harassment and sexual misconduct in the NSW parliament have brought to light the behavior of a senior member of the Labor team in the Legislative Council.
“Members and staff alike have been subjected to this person’s behavior for years but to date no action has been taken.
“The behavior is both unacceptable and incompatible with the rules of the Labor Party.
“NSW Labor has invested significantly in recent years to improve the culture, inclusivity and to stamp out bullying and harassment.
“This is evidenced by the adoption of a NSW Labor interim Code of Conduct.
“These revelations provide an opportunity for Labor Leader Chris Minns to demonstrate his commitment to improve the culture in the NSW Parliament by taking swift action to remove this member from the ranks of the Labor team.
“I have known Chris for many years and I am confident that he will rise to the challenge and set the standard required within the Labor team in the Legislative Council.”
Mr Minns said the Broderick review provided an opportunity for all parties to examine their culture.
Asked this morning whether he was aware of the various claims, Mr Minns said: “I’ve never had a complaint made to me by a survivor or a victim directly as the leader of the NSW Labor Party.
“It’s very difficult to make a summary judgment about events or circumstances in which I haven’t been provided the detail but obviously we take all instances or reports of harassment or bullying seriously.”
In his statement, Mr Secord said he was “aware of my shortcomings”.
“I want to be part of repairing the culture in State Parliament, and addressing my behavior as part of that.
“I will be participating fully in any and all education measures or proposals put forward by the review or that the Labor party thinks is required.
“On a personal level, I have already been undertaking counseling due to the experiences and trauma of growing up as the child of a First Nation father and non-First Nation mother on Indian reserve in the 1970s in southern Canada, which has deeply affected me and impacted on my personality.This has made me a forthright person.
“In the last year, my life has changed completely. In October 2021, I married for the first time and have become active in my synagogue.
“That said, the bottom line is that there is no space for this type of behavior in the NSW parliament — or any workplace.”
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