SA Sports Minister Corey Wingard was cleared of intimidating Sport SA boss as separate bullying allegations aired

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The Prime Minister of South Australia cleared Sports Minister Corey Wingard after an investigation found there was no evidence of intimidation or intimidation at a meeting between the Minister and managers of a sports organization.

Key points: Sport SA’s chief executive said she was intimidated by Sports Minister Corey Wingard during a meeting in June. The prime minister said he was cleared of the bullying allegations.

The investigation was ordered after Sport SA CEO Leah Cassidy alleged she was the victim of “intimidating behavior and / or other inappropriate comments” during a meeting in June with Mr. Wingard and his chief of staff, Larissa Mallinson, to discuss a new funding deal for community sports.

Sport SA feared that grassroots organizations that typically received funding had lost to larger organizations, such as local councils, which had previously not been involved in the sector.

Public Sector Employment Commissioner Erma Ranieri has hired private investigator Andrew Hill to interview the allegations.

Prime Minister Steven Marshall told parliament today that Ms Ranieri had reported to him that “while it was clear that there was a tense atmosphere at the meeting”, there was no evidence to suggest that bullying or intimidating behavior had taken place.

Ms Ranieri’s investigation exonerated Ms Mallinson and senior official Kylie Taylor, but her powers did not allow her to review the minister’s conduct.

Sport SA’s chief executive, Leah Cassidy, had claimed she had been bullied and bullied twice. (

ABC News

) Prime Minister attacks former Minister of Labor

Mr Marshall said he cleared his own minister of any breach of the code of conduct on the advice of the crown attorney.

The prime minister also targeted Sport SA chairman Michael Wright, a former labor minister, who was also present at the meeting.

He told Parliament that Mr. Wright arrived at the meeting with a copy of the ministerial code of conduct and cited sections dealing with honesty and fairness to Mr. Wingard.

“Mr. Wright could not ignore the fact that his action would elicit a response,” Mr. Marshall said.

“I think the minister was entitled to respond forcefully to the suggestion of dishonesty made by the president of Sport SA.”

Mr Marshall said the parties would be invited to participate in mediation or conciliation “with a view to repairing and improving their working relationship in the future”.

Public Sector Employment Commissioner Erma Ranieri said there was no evidence to suggest bullying or intimidating behavior had taken place. (

Provided: Public sector employment commissioner

) Separate allegations of bullying have been released

Meanwhile, Labor leader Tom Koutsantonis continued to make allegations of intimidation within Mr Wingard’s election office after reading a letter of resignation from a former employee yesterday.

Under parliamentary privilege, Mr. Koutsantonis read an email from a former employee from December 2019, saying that he would not be working that day from Mr. Wingard’s election office, but rather from his parliamentary office. .

Labor MP Tom Koutsantonis reads the email to Parliament. (

ABC News

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The person complained of “breaches of ethical standards” at the office.

“I no longer feel physically safe alone in your presence and I feel the need to contact electoral services again to ask for help,” Koutsantonis read in the email.

“This situation culminated in your aggressive and threatening comments at our meeting on Monday, November 27 and the subsequent phone call, which was aggressive, unprofessional and disrespectful.”

The prime minister said the case has been resolved.

He said Election Services, the agency that looks after MPs’ electoral offices, found “there was no basis for the allegations at that time and did not pursue any further.”

He recalled that Mr. Koutsantonis was at the time treasurer and responsible for electoral services.

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