It's been awhile but over the coming months, I intend to post some details about my background starting with the below email - these were the events that ultimately lead to my campaign for the Senate in 2019. My story fits the all too common scenario of a serial predator protected by senior management with clear governance failures - as my employer is unconcerned about these incidents and has previously invited me to complain, I publish these details in the public interest. The lack of concern and empathy shown by my former employer who, amongst many concerning incidents, harmed my child was deeply disturbing, particularly as this is an organisation with many children in their care. In the bigger picture, it remains truly devastating that reports of systemic and repeated abuse in a broad range of settings against vulnerable individuals continue on with such an absurd regularity to demand more light to be shone on such incidents. The failures of past and present parliamentarians and governments to pass laws, to create truly supported pathways for timely interventions continues to cast a dark shadow our community.
And yes, if you cover up harm inflicted on children - you don't deserve to be called a Professor.
14 October 2023
David Lloyd
I largely enjoyed the decade I spent working at UniSA - I made lifelong friends, worked hard and felt that I served and supported staff, students and the broader community to better themselves and the community in which we live. As you are aware, my time at UniSA was blighted by repeated incidents of harassment and intimidation that I witnessed and experienced undertaken by a small number of senior staff. I first experienced this in 2007-2008 when I asked Human Resources for assistance in managing multiple chronic health conditions and the breakdown of my relationship with the mother of my eldest child. UniSA’s response included a barrage of threatening letters written by a senior HR manager demanding that I return to a clearly unsafe and toxic workplace - which necessitated me engaging an external party to assist me in returning to work safely. This same HR manager somewhat routinely harassed many colleagues in the years that followed and it became quite normalised to have your reporting of serious health and safety incidents disregarded. This escalated during my time at UniSA to an incident in September 2015 when an individual whose appearance matched that of the same senior HR manager visited my family home one night to intimidate and terrify my eldest child (who was then ten years old) and my partner. During this incident, this individual delivered signed correspondence from you. In response to my complaint about this matter, you have refused to allow an independent investigation of the incident and denied that the incident even occurred - despite my eldest child being traumatised and expressing their emotional distress in numerous problematic behaviours immediately after and following the incident. My now adult child continues to manage serious medical challenges that have resulted in multiple hospitalisations in recent years.
UniSA’s protection of this predatory manager is not unique - it fits with the all too commonplace occurrence of individuals in positions of power repeatedly ignoring serious systemic misconduct often with disastrous results. The recent final report of the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability – like many Royal Commissions in other settings – highlighted widespread systemic failures in accountability, transparency and governance concerning incidents of violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation of vulnerable members of our community. It is damning that so many colleagues were harmed by this individual whose behaviour went unchecked and indeed, has been celebrated and honoured by yourself and UniSA.
Commencing next month, I will be publishing this email and making further public comments. I will also be writing to other parties implicated in this matter advising them of my intent to openly discuss their involvement in future postings. My second posting in December will focus on the incidents of 2007-2008 when I asked for support and was subject to numerous incidents of harmful behaviour whose intentions ranged from clumsy or misinformed to clearly intended to cause psychological distress. Further comments will be made without notice. Given your lack of empathy and concern about these matters over many years, I do not anticipate a response but due to the harmful manner in which you have sent your letters previously - I direct you to my current contact details below to prevent further incidents of harm against my children:
Customer and Community
GPO Box 77
Adelaide SA 5001
First floor
1 Anzac Highway
Keswick SA
independentagainstabuse@gmail.com
Following my time at UniSA, I worked at an ASX200 listed company where a colleague committed suicide in a workplace where it appeared he was scapegoated for fraudulent conduct that was still commonplace following his death. Your behaviour is not unique but it does remain concerning that institutions like UniSA whose beneficial insights and research into areas such as Child Protection and Workplace Health and Safety can be so egregiously disregarded when such harm repeatedly occurs within its own walls.
Brett O’Donnell
