By Cam Lucadou-Wells
A former food inspector at City of Greater Dandenong is suing the council in what is described as an “important first test run” of whistleblower protection laws.
Kim Rogerson, who had left the council after accusing it of being “intent on destroying” catering business I Cook Foods, filed the action at the Supreme Court of Victoria two weeks ago.
“The bi-partisan parliamentary IBAC Committee boosted whistleblower protections in 2019 because the legislation wasn’t being used,” her barrister James Catlin said:
“This proceeding may enable those reforms to be given an important first test run”.
Greater Dandenong chief executive John Bennie said the council’s lawyers were looking at the claims.
“That is a new matter that’s only just arrived with us and we’re still working our way through understanding what is being claimed in that writ.”
Last year, Ms Rogerson and the council reached a confidential workers-comp settlement after a two-year battle for compensation.
She alleged mental injury as a result of workplace bullying, harassment and work-related stress.
For several years, Ms Rogerson had been inspecting I Cook Foods’ factory in Dandenong South.
As part of an investigation into a hospital patient’s death, she’d collected the first listeria samples and swabbing of surfaces on 1 February 2019.
She was on leave during subsequent council inspections that led to the forced closure of ICF – including when a live slug was allegedly planted on the factory...
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