- Family Court staff caught with porn
- The Daily Telegraph
- 15/10/2003 Make a Comment
- Contributed by: admin ( 75 articles in 2003 )
A SCANDAL over pornographic e-mails has rocked the Family Court, leading one employee to resign and up to 10 others to be disciplined.
Independent investigators were called in to launch an inquiry after a senior court manager discovered a group of staff viewing a pornographic image on an employee's computer. An audit of e-mail traffic was ordered. This led to a full external investigation.
Sources said about 10 employees in the court's Sydney and Adelaide registries were found to have sent or received offensive e-mails.
A court spokeswoman would not say how many staff were found to be involved.
However, she confirmed that, in the most serious case, "a small number" of staff were "sanctioned" under the Public Service Act.
Penalties included fines, which would be docked from employees' pay, and demotion.
One staff member resigned after learning the investigators had recommended his dismissal.
He would not comment to The Daily Telegraph, but is understood to have quit rather than be sacked, which would have left him with a tarnished employment record.
Sources said the investigation was launched in April and that all disciplinary action was concluded by August.
However, the issue is continuing to cause problems within the court's administration.
Court staff around the country were recently forced to sign documents saying they had seen and would abide by a tough new e-mail and internet use policy.
Sources said the e-mail which sparked the scandal was "sexually graphic" and showed a man and a woman having sex.
It is understood to have originated in the court's Sydney registry and to have been circulated among other staff in Sydney and Adelaide.
"There was a problem in the court with people receiving inappropriate e-mails and, in particular, with a group of staff in Sydney and Adelaide," one source said.
"There was an odd culture at the court whereby it (e-mail and internet pornography) was seen as okay as long as someone stood in front of the monitor and no one walking past saw it."
The Family Court spokeswoman said the independent investigations showed the court "treats such matters extremely seriously".
"The investigation was comprehensive and no judges or senior managers were found to have been involved," she said.
"The court has subsequently upgraded and strengthened its e-mail policy to ensure that the standards of conduct expected of its staff are fully understood and acted upon."
A spokesman for the Community and Public Sector Union said the union and its members had co-operated fully with the investigation.
"We supported the investigation ... and provided support for a handful of members caught up in it," he said.
"We advise members who receive potentially offensive e-mails to delete them immediately and inform administrators.
"However, at the end of the day, employers have the responsibility to ensure they have clear policies and that all staff understand them."
Independent investigators were called in to launch an inquiry after a senior court manager discovered a group of staff viewing a pornographic image on an employee's computer. An audit of e-mail traffic was ordered. This led to a full external investigation.
Sources said about 10 employees in the court's Sydney and Adelaide registries were found to have sent or received offensive e-mails.
A court spokeswoman would not say how many staff were found to be involved.
However, she confirmed that, in the most serious case, "a small number" of staff were "sanctioned" under the Public Service Act.
Penalties included fines, which would be docked from employees' pay, and demotion.
One staff member resigned after learning the investigators had recommended his dismissal.
He would not comment to The Daily Telegraph, but is understood to have quit rather than be sacked, which would have left him with a tarnished employment record.
Sources said the investigation was launched in April and that all disciplinary action was concluded by August.
However, the issue is continuing to cause problems within the court's administration.
Court staff around the country were recently forced to sign documents saying they had seen and would abide by a tough new e-mail and internet use policy.
Sources said the e-mail which sparked the scandal was "sexually graphic" and showed a man and a woman having sex.
It is understood to have originated in the court's Sydney registry and to have been circulated among other staff in Sydney and Adelaide.
"There was a problem in the court with people receiving inappropriate e-mails and, in particular, with a group of staff in Sydney and Adelaide," one source said.
"There was an odd culture at the court whereby it (e-mail and internet pornography) was seen as okay as long as someone stood in front of the monitor and no one walking past saw it."
The Family Court spokeswoman said the independent investigations showed the court "treats such matters extremely seriously".
"The investigation was comprehensive and no judges or senior managers were found to have been involved," she said.
"The court has subsequently upgraded and strengthened its e-mail policy to ensure that the standards of conduct expected of its staff are fully understood and acted upon."
A spokesman for the Community and Public Sector Union said the union and its members had co-operated fully with the investigation.
"We supported the investigation ... and provided support for a handful of members caught up in it," he said.
"We advise members who receive potentially offensive e-mails to delete them immediately and inform administrators.
"However, at the end of the day, employers have the responsibility to ensure they have clear policies and that all staff understand them."
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