How did we get here?
We recently heard from the Beyond PMSA team about what they are doing to achieve the strategic priorities they have set being to:
Achieve material change in the design and operations of the governance structures of the PMSA schools;
Ensure key stakeholders can raise concerns and participate in dialogue about the future governance of the schools; and
Ensure that Christian values and ethos are maintained at the schools.
PMSA has commenced their Governance Forums with mixed feedback from the first event.
Now that we have had a glimpse forward, let’s remind ourselves of the past by a little trip down memory lane…...
1.0 How did we get here?
Going back to the “Why” from the Beyond PMSA website:
Recent events at Somerville House, Clayfield College and Brisbane Boys' College have revealed a governance structure which is not fit for purpose today and which is not delivering the standards of oversight of our children's education that parents, teachers and the wider school community are entitled to expect. Please take the time to read the material on this website and consider the views of the parent community expressed through our Facebook page.
The answer begins a long time before Beyond PMSA was formed. See here just one of many thoughtful, well-researched cases for governance reform ignored by the PMSA in the past. This one is by a former BBC school captain and dux with a distinguished investment banking career who knows what good governance looks like.
The many thousands of Beyond PMSA members and their representatives are reasonable people who fundamentally believe that, because the current scandals have been caused by the direct actions of the current PMSA Council and their arrogant refusal to engage with stakeholders until media attention forced them to do so, it is clearly not appropriate that they should be engaged with as part of any discussions for a solution to these issues and the important structural problems underpinning multigenerational governance failures.
People are no longer seeking explanations, they are seeking action.
No action has been offered by the PMSA and even if it were, their decisions and involvement in the current crisis has tainted the position of all current PMSA Council members in the debate. All current PMSA Council members must therefore resign.
Beyond PMSA and its members remain willing to engage with the Moderators of the Uniting and Presbyterian Churches to swiftly intercede to enable proper dialogue and discussions for true governance reform to occur outside of the current PMSA structure. The PMSA Chairman’s recent comments in the media and the many unsolicited attempts by the PMSA at communications with parents via their crisis communications consultants are too little too late. The PMSA media seems more about prioritising steps to preserve the relevance of the present PMSA Council than addressing the impact on the reputations of the schools, and the continuing disruption and the distress caused to students and staff.
The solution can never be to allow the PMSA to reform itself. That is not an acceptable solution on any level.
Beyond PMSA will continue with its unrelenting campaign.
Stay tuned.
So, lets do a quick recap of the scandals, what the PMSA has done, what the PMSA hasn’t done, and who is taking responsibility now.
As published on 3 December 2017, Beyond PMSA outlined a brief history of calls to reform the PMSA dating back to 1970.
You can read that summary here: A Brief History of PMSA Governance
There have been many experienced people, including consultants of the PMSA and even the Churches themselves, who have called for best practice governance and reform of the PMSA.For example, in 1989 and 1999, The Uniting Church Schools Review Task Group made the recommendation:
That Synod affirms the principle of a single autonomous Council for each School and requests the Synod Schools Commission, in consultation with the Presbyterian Church and the PMSA, to work towards its implementation.
That strong recommendation from the Uniting Church was made over 17 years ago and no steps towards implementation have been undertaken.
Many committed parents and pasts students have tried to guide the PMSA to better practice, including the “Governance of BBC, A Case for Change” by David Addis of March 2014, a copy of which can be found here:
Again, and to much disappointment, there has been strong resistance to any change by the PMSA Councillors.
This goes to the very heart of what Beyond PMSA is trying to achieve. Accountability and transparency.
Without accountability to the Churches, there is no impetus and mechanism to ensure best practice. So how do we engage with the Churches to ensure appropriate accountability of the PMSA Councillors to the Churches and other stakeholders in the Schools.
Without transparency there is no real accountability, as stakeholders need to know what is going on, at the very least at a macro level, to ensure resources are appropriately applied for the best outcomes for the Schools, their students and their staff.
So, lets investigate the not so distant past and see what has got everyone back reviewing and calling for radical change to the long-standing issue of poor practice by the PMSA.
Scandals
Mr Rick Hiley, former business manager at Somerville House, former company secretary of the Somerville House Foundation, and now former Executive Manager at the PMSA, is at the heart of the current scandal.As outlined below, Mr Hiley, due to his activities in 2016 and 2017 when he was employed by Somerville House (a trading name of the PMSA) and later in the PMSA Corporate Office, has been an expensive employee for all stakeholders.
Expensive in terms of dollars, expensive in terms of loss of reputation for the schools, expensive for many private individuals who have been threatened with legal action, expensive in terms of loss of friendships, family disputes and other personal outcomes for a whole range of stakeholders.
When you review what was done and has been admitted by the PMSA, you do wonder why.Why are these activities still condoned and excused by the PMSA?Even described as “exemplary” and not an apology or explanation in sight.This is despite many objections by the stakeholders who have quite categorically stated that these actions continue to be unacceptable by the standards at which we set of those charged with the care and education of our children.Particularly an education that we hope will guide our children to be model and modern citizens of the world, with a Christian ethos to treat others as you would expect to be treated yourself.I really find it quite perplexing.
Let’s recap….
Mr Hiley, by the PMSA’s own admission, copied over 6,000 files, many of which contained private and confidential information about other people.This information was taken from the Somerville House Foundation drive as hosted on the Somerville House IT system.The PMSA have admitted the copying but used the explanation that Mr Hiley needed such information to “work efficiently from home” from a portable hard drive ( PMSA Chairman’s Communique dated 26 October 2017).
It is not known what work was required to have been done from Mr Hiley’s home as there was no outstanding items of work that he needed to do on behalf of the Somerville House Foundation, as confirmed by the Directors of the Somerville House Foundation.
What is clear is that the data was copied on Friday 26 May 2017, 2 days AFTER Mr Hiley was offered the role of Executive Manager of the PMSA on Wednesday 24 May 2017. This has been referenced in several publications including the School Council Investigation and the Somerville House Foundation Independent Audit Report.
There was also private and confidential data on that hard drive and within the Somerville House Foundation drive on the Somerville House computers that belonged to individuals, clients, students and other related parties of LifeLine Queensland and TAFE Queensland, two of Mr Hiley’s previous employers.
Dr Sarah Kelly and Mr Ian McDonald, previous members of the Somerville House School Council, confirm that on 6 June 2017 Mr Hiley was appointed as the Executive Manager of the PMSA, whilst still employed as the Business Manager at Somerville House.
On 7 June 2017 Reverend Murray Fysh as Chair of the Somerville House School Council accepted Mr Hiley’s resignation from Somerville House after discussing with Mr Hiley the unacceptable position that he was currently in with both accepting the Executive Manager position whilst being employed as Business Manager of Somerville House.
On 22 June 2017 Somerville House provide information to Q Workplace Solutions acting on a complaint received from Mr Hiley as per their contract with the PMSA and the legal advisors of the PMSA.This information included explicit text messages between Mr Hiley and the then current Chairman of the PMSA, Mr Robert McCall.
These texts, on a work supplied phone included information about several meetings between the two men, including expensive lunches, and at one stage the meeting held during work hours in the June/July 2016 period at the mens’ only spa in South Brisbane, where participants are treated to a Korean bath house experience.It is understood that this bath house experience can include nudity.It would also appear from the texts that the men discussed at various stages the Executive Manager position at the PMSA and the recruitment and selection process, prior to the job being offered to Mr Hiley.
It would then appear that Mr Hiley commenced employment at the PMSA Corporate office sometime in August 2017.
On 29 August 2017, the Somerville House Foundation became aware that the private and confidential data of its members, as well as very identifying information of its Directors, had been copied without its knowledge or authorisation.The Somerville House Foundation, a separate company subject to the (Cth), proceeded to advise its members of the situation, as it must under Corporations Law, on 4 September 2017.
Surprisingly, the PMSA has never signed an enforceable undertaking about the destruction or otherwise of the copied private and confidential data and continues to refuse to do so to this day.They continue to contend that the data was “deleted” but provide no actual assurances that this is the case.The hard drive itself was purportedly thrown “in the bin”, which evidences an extraordinary lack of IT experience, as it may have been extracted from the bin by any member of the public and can possibly resurface at any time.
Will this data resurface in a month’s time, a year’s time, a few years’ time? It has already been copied contrary to the express wishes of those whose private information it is, so we can only imagine that subsequent use and or distribution is not out of the question in the future. I would also imagine that, if it were merely thrown “in the bin” that it is a risk to the PMSA if it ever resurfaces and is misused.Particularly now that information privacy legislation has been changed.
On 12 October 2017 the Somerville House Principal, Mrs Flo Kearney resigned.
On Wednesday 25 October 2017 the Somerville House Principal and the Somerville House Communications Director, Mrs Sarah Dreaver, were stood down. To date there has been no publication of any reasons for this action and no publication of the outcome from any investigative report, a report which would have been prudent to obtain in these circumstances. I would hope that either the reasons for them being stood down, or a public and unreserved apology is soon forthcoming, as the reputational damage to these two women is immense and will surely be costly to the PMSA and accordingly, fee paying parents, should litigation eventuate.
Again, fees parents are paying for educational services may well be spent on mistakes in human resource management.
You can read about the huge cost of making human resource management mistakes here:
As noted by Mr Ian McDonald in his opinion piece published by the Courier Mail on 23 November 2017:
The removal of staff in a manner that is publicly perceived as unjust — and the PMSA’s incapacity to articulate to anyone any justification for the action — cuts to their credibility as a faith-based ministry of the Churches who claim the Gospel value of justice.
On Friday 27 October 2017 and again on Friday 3 November 2017, Mr Greg Adsett, by this time the Chairman of the PMSA, participated in a public radio interview by Steve Austin of ABC Morning Radio.
Amongst the statements that he makes on 27 October 2017, Mr Adsett claims in relation to the standing down of the Somerville House School Principal “there have been a number of things that have been occurring within the school that meant that we had to take that action”. In the same interview he also confirms his view that there has been a “smear campaign ” against Mr Hiley.
At all times the actions of Mr Hiley have been described by the PMSA as “exemplary”.
But no further information is forthcoming, no explanations, no apologies, nothing. Very intriguing. I don’t know about you, but intrigue is not what I’m paying for when I’m paying my child’s school fees.
So yes, in my view Mr Hiley really was a very expensive employee.
He was expensive both in terms of his purported generous salary package as Executive Manager, and even more so his termination agreement after less than 6 months in the Executive Manager’s role.
He was also expensive in the large amount of fees paid to consultants, communication spin doctors and lawyers that have been engaged, and those that are likely to be engaged in the future as the actions of the PMSA and Mr Hiley are likely to be the subject of various litigations.For example, and this is just to date, the PMSA has engaged a communications consultant on virtually a full-time basis since early October 2017.The PMSA also engaged Cannings Strategic Communications.
There is also the immense number of billable hours being charged by various law firms and barristers including Hopgood and Ganim, who have sent threatening legal letters to the volunteer parents of the Somerville House P&F Executive (copies of which can be read here in the related article in The Australian of 24 October 2017):
There is also the expense in terms of reputation to the Schools.
The expense to everyone who has volunteered their time to write a submission, voice a complaint, attend a meeting, read the endless (but still not illuminating) missives from Mr Adsett and Ms Thurlow of the PMSA Corporate office.
To date and as a direct result of the actions of Mr Hiley and the PMSA there has been:
The resignation of two members of the Somerville House School Council;
The resignation of at least two members of the PMSA Council;
The resignation of the Somerville House School Principal;
The resignations of at least 3 other senior Somerville House staff;
The standing down of the Somerville House School Principal and the Communications Director for reasons yet unexplained and for a significant period, on full pay;
The cost of employing a former Somerville House Principal as Interim Principal;
The cost of recruiting another Somerville House Principal (for which we are yet to hear of any success or otherwise);
The formation of the Beyond PMSA Group and 3 Town hall meetings;
The publication of over 12 articles by state, national and international newspapers calling into question the ability and reputation of the PMSA and by association, negatively impacting the schools and stakeholders;
The publication of at least 10 articles by the PMSA clogging up stakeholder’s inboxes while saying not much at all (and not committing to any change or making any apology);
The appointment of a consultant, Mr David Mallam, full time since October 2017 at a significant cost to the organisation;
The appointment of various legal advisors including Hopgood Ganim at a significant cost to the organisation and therefore fee-paying parents;
The threatening of legal action by the PMSA against volunteer executive members of the Somerville House P&F Association and the directors of the Somerville House Foundation;
Two public rallies by concerned stakeholders;
The appointment of Mr Richard Chesterman and Mr Terry Killian by the Uniting Church (Queensland Synod) and the Presbyterian Church in Queensland at significant cost to those organisations and their parishioners;
Significant time commitments by the executives of the various P&F Associations, the various School Foundations and the various past students’ associations in attending meetings, not least of which those who attended the Chesterman review meetings at personal time and cost;
Participation by many stakeholders in, for some school communities, various forums and submission processes including the Chesterman Review submissions in December 2017 and the most recent Australian Institute of Company Directors in April 2018, with no promise of transparency or even publication of the results of these processes.
And all that time, cost and focus, which should have been directed by the PMSA to our students and staff.All that time, cost and focus not on strategic planning, not on future proofing our schools, not on continued financial viability and appropriate cost controls. Not even on systemic governance improvement advice or implementation.
I shudder to think what resources are now not available to our students and future students because of these decisions.Where is the focus on student outcomes?Where is the focus on strategic planning?Where is the focus on good governance, accountability and transparency?
Why are resources being spent in this counterproductive way.
2.0 What hasn’t happened since June 2017
What is clear the PMSA hasn’t done is apologise or explain. Without either of those actions, trust will not be restored in the stakeholder’s minds.
An apology need not breach someone’s privacy, but can still be made honestly, and without recourse to the excuse that someone needs to “ask” for such an apology to be made.
The explanation need not breach someone’s privacy but can be made in such a way to restore a damaged reputation.
The PMSA has done nothing to restore trust in its abilities or its brand.It has not engaged stakeholders, it has merely sent out emails from Toowong Towers.That is not direct dialogue as Mr Adsett promised stakeholders in his radio interview of 3 November 2017. Far from it and it treats stakeholders with contempt and disrespect, especially when their new communications manager describes parents as “customers with choice”.
The PMSA Councillors have not, in my view, stopped and taken self-interest out of the equation, and really thought long and hard as to what is in the best interests of the schools.Regardless of who is right or wrong, those who presided over the drawn-out nature of this debate/debacle need to step aside for there to be any hope of a collaborative and cohesive solution.
3.0 What has happened since June 2017
It wasn’t until I had a one on one telephone discussion with a representative of the PMSA recently that I worked out what had happened since June 2017.
The blame games.
In my hour-long discussion with this representative, I was told several different reasons why things haven’t changed, why things haven’t been implemented, and why they simply won’t any time in the future in his view.
Despite the PMSA owning the assets of the Schools (and the various child care centres), and despite the fact the Churches have very little ability to direct the PMSA Councillors by reason of terms in the Constitution, everyone but the PMSA is apparently to blame for the current situation and the limited prospects for systemic change.
According to this representative, it is the Churches’ fault that there will be no change to the Constitution because the Churches can’t agree.I think that rather devalues the intelligence of the Church representatives and devalues any input from respected consultants and the PMSA Councillors themselves.
It is, according to this PMSA representative, the School Principals’ fault that parents haven’t had any direct open and honest forums yet with the PMSA Councillors.I do find that hard to believe as I have yet to meet a School Principal who doesn’t encourage interaction within their school’s community.
According to this PMSA representative, there is currently a team within the PMSA looking at systemic constitutional change, but it is not known who is on this team, what their qualifications are, and there is no transparency about their selection.Is this even the case – who knows?
With all these resources at their disposal, why not just engage the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) for that systemic constitutional review, instead of the limited terms review that, to date, has been besieged with technical and process failure.I wonder if the limited nature of the review will be blamed on the AICD?Or the Churches?
And of course, they blame the stakeholders.For some reason it seems the stakeholders are to blame for the lack of talent in recruiting the new Somerville House Principal.Not the fact that the employers of the previous Somerville House Principal stood her down without explanation, sullied her reputation on several public radio broadcasts, have refused to apologise or explain her situation and have even refused to invite her to the opening of the library she worked so hard to give the students.
It does seem like blaming the tail for being wagged by the dog.
It seems everyone (even the dog) is to blame, when really the PMSA just needs to take responsibility.
Like we tell our teenagers, and it seems our cricketers, it is OK to stuff up. But, having stuffed up, then step up, stand up, take responsibility and apologise. Don’t be dragged kicking and screaming to the lectern or microphone to do that, get on the front foot.
Take self-interest out of the equation and put your community first and if that means you are not part of the solution, then accept that with grace and humility.
The PMSA Councillors have been gifted a great responsibility which they seem to not understand.They have also been entrusted with a huge amount of assets and income of which they are merely guardians on behalf of future generations of Somerville House girls, BBC boys, Clayfield College boys and girls and Sunshine Coast Grammar students.
Only accountability to others and transparency to entrench that accountability will work.To blame those who respectfully ask for that for this litany of woes which they have brought upon themselves in my view shows just how out of touch and out of depth the current PMSA Councillors are.
"Eventually we all have to accept full and total responsibility for our actions, everything we have done, and have not done."
Hubert Selby Jr. Requiem for a Dream
