Porn use among NT public servants on the rise

MELBOURNE - The number of Northern Territory public servants being formally disciplined has increased threefold in six years-as they have come under scanner for “inappropriate computer use.”

A report by Public Employment Commissioner Ken Simpson has shown that there were 101 formal disciplines handed out in the 2009-10 financial year.

This is compared to 32 disciplines handed out for 2004-05.

Meanwhile, there were five summary dismissals for “significant breaches of discipline”.

Simpson said disciplines were more likely to be given out for accessing porn than for using sites such as Facebook.

But he said pornography presented only part of what might fall under “inappropriate material”.

“Porn certainly is (covered by that), but … a better term is inappropriate material,” the Northern Territory News quoted him as saying.

“You can buy material over the counter in a news agency that might not be labelled porn, but which would not be deemed appropriate,” he said.

This year a probationary teacher at Taminmin High was sacked for sending an email with a Tiger Woods joke and a picture of a naked woman. (ANI)