Dan Andrews’ decision to reinstate disgraced former minister Adem Somyurek sends a troubling message to Australian women. When a woman comes forward to report misconduct, even when she is found to be truthful, her word is never enough and she is never enough.
The inclusion of Adem Somyurek, member for the Southeastern Metropolitan Region, in Victoria’s first gender-equal cabinet is leaving many shaking their heads, especially those who worked on his portfolios in the Victorian Public Service. It’s difficult to forget Somyurek’s poor conduct during his albeit short time as minister for small business, innovation and trade.
In 2015, Somyurek was stood down after a three-month-long investigation where former Office of Police Integrity director Michael Strong found that he had engaged in physical contact with a female staffer, which diminished her confidence in her personal safety and caused her distress.
Defending his decision to reinstate Somyurek, Andrews said that Somyurek is a “better man than he’s ever been”. Andrews did not provide evidence or examples of how he came to such a conclusion. Should the Victorian people simply take Andrews’ word that Somyurek is a changed man?
Andrews talks a big game: anti-bullying, ending family violence and violence against women, supporting gender equality. Andrews has done his fair share of call-outs. His most recent target was the Greens and their culture and treatment of women. Andrews said “I will not sit down, never sit down and negotiate with people who refuse to call out denigration of women.” The hypocrisy and double standard are glaring. Reinstating Somyurek suggests there has been no fundamental culture shift within the ALP. The Andrews government is saying all the right things without following through.
Perhaps what is most disappointing is that we hold men in positions of power to such a low standard. The bar is now so low that to be selected for the Victorian cabinet you only need to be a “better man” than the last time you were found to have engaged in inappropriate conduct towards a female staffer. As a state that wants to move the needle on gender equity and has the capacity and resources to do so, we need to be setting our sights much higher.
Exactly how long is he expected to stay in exile for making a mistake. Andrews is in a better position to make he judgement than you are from Seattle.
Nope, I disagree. After 30 years in the public sector my experience has been that once a bully, always a bully. On the rare occasions I saw bullies get caught out and chastised, they hung their heads for a couple of days, learnt a few cliches of contrition and how to conceal their aggression better, and soon returned to form. Politicians who mouth self-righteous platitudes make me sick. That’s what made and continues to make Rudd so repulsive. I hope Premier Andrews does not end up like that.
Agreed Oldie.
Hung out to dry because of your public sector experience. My longer PS experience is that such bullies are rarely punished because they and like minded supervisors are often at or near the top
Somyurek has been punished and shamed and my opinion is he is unlikely to transgress with Andrews in charge
Nope. Again must disagree. Bullying occurs at every level. You can be bullied by someone of lower rank than yourself and I was at a very low rank. You may be thinking of the more easily detected overt forms of bullying, but I regard many forms of psychological intimidation as a form of bullying. My experience was also that both sexes were equally capable of bullying though they did it in different ways.
Please don’t change the subject. We are talking about Somyurek who has been sanctioned and whose performance will be kept under close watch for the slightest future transgression.
Do you seriously believe this? I can only think that either you have been extremely fortunate in not having encountered any bullying in your life or that you have an extremely narrow conception of bullying as overt blatant physical or verbal behavior.
john kotsopoulos
November 30, 2018 at 2:44 pm
“Somyurek has been punished and shamed and my opinion is he is unlikely to transgress with Andrews in charge”
John wrong, wrong, wrong. Do you always take a Hard Left?
Moral myopia is very unattractive.
When combined with partisanship it is a cancer on the body politic.
A grub doesn’t shed its skin unlike a snake which seems to be what we have in power structures.
The better to go the rats, aka whistleblowers.
Your comment is pretty unforgiving and in my case insulting. It smacks of anti Labor partisanship and if, as I suspect you are a Greens supporter, abject hypocrisy
Did you actually reach out to Daniel Andrews for comment before condemning his decision from the other side of the world?
Sure, it might be a shonky decision, but it might not. Your article provides nothing to help us decide either way.
Agree with all the above. How long is too long but in my public service experience bullies and dodgers just play the process game.
Some indication that Andrews had been approached I’d have thought mandatory in a Crikey piece to distinguish it from Murdoch fiction.
I suspect that Dan Andrews placed Mr Somyurek on notice that any hint of bullying would be the end of his ministerial career. Andrews is proving to be a pretty effective operator, and even factional warlords will have to obey the rules that apply to the rest of us.
No mention of what talent Somyurek brings to the role.
Apart from the improper use of butter knives, none.
In fairness that is par for the course. Journalists lack the ability to analyse ministers on their skills or otherwise as ministers so they don’t try. You can be the best performing minister in the country and the media will only care if you gaffe or have a scandal. The biggest crime to the media for ministers is having no charisma..
Stuff that, I’m with you Liz. Creeps rarely change their spots even after being caught out. How will any future women working for him feel?
Pretty empowered I suggest.