A restructure at Zoos Victoria has left staff fearing for worker and patron safety, including concerns about fewer armed and emergency personnel in case of an escaped animal or other crisis.
asserted
restructure → leave → animal
In June, staff were told through a series of meetings of the significant restructure.
asserted
staff → tell → restructure
Some were informed weeks after their colleagues.
asserted
Some → inform → colleagues
Workers were promised no frontline roles would be affected – but the definition of frontline was unclear, sparking concerns for jobs across administration, conservation and education.
uncertain
definition → promise → administration
Parents entering bathrooms at the zoo were suddenly greeted with posters urging the public to petition against cuts, which the Community and Public Sector Union labelled “ill-conceived and far-reaching”.
asserted
Union → enter → which
“No part of the zoo will be unaffected,” the union warned as part of its campaign.
asserted
union → warn → campaign
It was an uncomfortably public dispute for an organisation that welcomes as many as 2.7 million visitors a year.
asserted
that → welcome → visitors
The nervous wait for staff extended for months.
asserted
wait → extend → months
While the plan was announced in June, consultation on a final structure was not bedded down until August.
asserted
consultation → announce → August
In the end, 54 redundancies were outlined, about 5 per cent of the workforce, to find $7.7 million in savings.
asserted
redundancies → outline → savings
Over the months spent waiting, staff morale depleted to crisis point.
asserted
morale → spend → point
The state’s workplace watchdog last month slapped management with an order to rectify “psychosocial hazards”, following reports people were crying while working alongside potentially deadly animals, among other issues.
asserted
people → slap → issues
Zoos Victoria has complied with the order, with a spokeswoman saying an inspector acknowledged its “significant work undertaken to review, monitor and strengthen our management of psychosocial hazards and risks during the consultation process”.
asserted
inspector → comply → process
“The inspection report recognised a range of measures implemented by Zoos Victoria, including careful hazard and incident monitoring, frequent consultation, strong psychosocial risk controls, improved guidance and support resources for employees and managers, and ongoing leadership oversight and communication,” the Zoos Victoria spokeswoman said.
asserted
spokeswoman → recognise → employees
The watchdog confirmed there are no outstanding notices hanging over Zoos Victoria.
asserted
watchdog → confirm → Victoria
However, staff still harbour serious safety concerns as the team tasked with managing zoo emergencies dwindles.
asserted
team → harbour → emergencies
Almost half of the more than 90 chief wardens and designated firearms officers working across the organisation are on the chopping block in the redundancies, with management cutting about 54 full-time equivalent roles.
asserted
management → designate → roles
The people in these compliance team roles cycle through them on a roster and might perform them once or twice a week alongside their usual jobs of zookeeper, horticulturalist, heavy machinery operator or retail worker.
uncertain
people → cycle → zookeeper
Come late October, Melbourne Zoo could be left with four of 16 chief wardens, Werribee with 13 of an original 28 and Healesville with six of 16.
uncertain
Zoo → leave → 16
Two people are currently filling 60 per cent of the chief warden shifts at Melbourne Zoo, risking burnout, a Zoos Victoria employee speaking anonymously for fear of reprisals said.
asserted
employee → fill → reprisals
Zoos will have to train up people to take the place of those gone from the voluntary compliance role roster.
asserted
Zoos → have → roster
But in the meantime, the risk from aggressive patrons and large animals doesn’t stop.
asserted
risk → stop → patrons
“The offering of Zoos Victoria is, ‘Come and see the animals, some of which may kill you’,” said the employee, who asked to remain anonymous, fearing reprisal.
uncertain
who → come → reprisal
“Think of Werribee – we literally put people on a bus through the savannah.
asserted
we → think → savannah
“A burnt-out husk of a person or someone lacking in experience will struggle with any serious emergency, whether that be an animal escape, fire, aggressive person, drunk person, child safety incident, flood, chemical spill or medical emergency.”
asserted
that → burn → emergency
The Zoos Victoria spokeswoman said the redundancies would “result in a modest adjustment to the number of firearm response personnel in the short term”.
asserted
redundancies → say → term
“Through training, upskilling and workforce planning, these responsibilities will be distributed across newly created roles, ensuring consistent operational coverage and the continued safe management of our sites,” the spokeswoman said.
asserted
spokeswoman → distribute → sites
The most recent animal escape at Melbourne Zoo was in 2019, when orangutan Malu got out of its exhibit, sending the zoo into a short lockdown.
asserted
Malu → get → lockdown
The same orangutan escaped in 2015 by using a blanket to climb through a hole onto the top of its exhibit.
asserted
orangutan → escape → exhibit
The staff member feared even people who stayed on with Zoos Victoria would bow out of the voluntary compliance team roles, wrecked from the “mismanaged” redundancy process and reluctant to take on a heavier burden with fewer, tired staff.
asserted
who → fear → staff
It’s a legal requirement for the zoos with “category one”, or potentially deadly animals, to have a firearms officer on site before they can open.
asserted
they → ’ → site
Most workers who act in this role are staying on (Melbourne is losing three of its 12, Werribee two of its 22 and Healesville doesn’t require firearms officers) – but they are working under significant stress, the anonymous staff member said.
The firearms officers have to stand by with rifles when staff move, examine or operate on big, dangerous animals – sometimes for hours on end, well past their rostered hours.
Veterinarians sedate animals using dart guns ahead of medical procedures, of which there’s generally one a month at Zoos Victoria, the anonymous staff member said.
asserted
member → act → Victoria
The last time an animal was shot and killed after escaping the zoo was in the 1950s, when an escaped rhesus monkey was shot dead, as was a polar bear that mauled two zoo workers.
asserted
that → shoot → workers
“Having the responsibility to shoot something that they have a level of affection for already takes a toll,” the staff member said.
asserted
member → have → toll
“Already, they will need debriefing, counselling, various other things afterwards.
asserted
they → need → debriefing
But you’re asking them to do that while they’re also under a mental load of wondering, ‘Have I got a job?
asserted
I → ask → job
I’m not sure I am going to pay the bills
asserted
I → ’m → bills
“How does one have a clear head for that?”
asserted
one → have → that
The restructure is due to take effect on October 19, but some staff are still stuck in limbo, unsure of whether they’re going or staying on in other roles.
asserted
they → take → roles
Jiselle Hanna, Victorian branch secretary of the Community and Public Sector Union, said the “loss of staff with emergency management responsibilities should concern every Victorian”.
asserted
loss → say → Victorian
…and 9 more, not listed.
The Aporia
