A high school teacher's claim that he was subjected to workplace bullying and sexual harassment, including being called 'Mr Baldy,' has been dismissed by the Fair Work Commission. Timb Hoswell alleged that staff at Caroline Chisholm School in Canberra's Tuggeranong district taunted him over his baldness and mocked comments related to gender affirmation leave.
However, the commission ruled that Hoswell's application had "no reasonable prospects of success" because he was no longer employed by the ACT Government's Education Directorate, the named employer. Commissioner Damian Sloan stated that because Hoswell was no longer employed, there was no ongoing risk of workplace bullying and thus the commission lacked the power to make a stop-bullying order.
Hoswell had lodged his application in April 2026, but was dismissed from his teaching role on June 11 of the same year. The decision did not disclose the reasons for his dismissal.
The teacher argued he experienced sexual harassment in two ways. Firstly, he claimed repeated taunts about his baldness, with a female colleague allegedly referring to him as 'Mr No Hair,' 'No Hair Timb,' and 'Mr Baldy.' He contended that comments targeting his male pattern baldness were inherently gender-based and that a female staff member making derogatory remarks about a man's appearance amounted to sexual harassment. Hoswell drew a parallel, stating that if a man made similar comments about a woman's appearance, it would be considered sexual harassment.
Secondly, Hoswell alleged that a senior education official attacked his gender by suggesting he wanted to use gender affirmation leave to work on his car. He argued this reinforced "toxic stereotypes about men and cars." Gender affirmation leave is a workplace entitlement intended to support employees undergoing gender transition-related processes.
Hoswell expressed concern over body shaming and negative language in the workplace, stating that schools should be safe environments that set professional standards. He worried about the indirect effect of such comments on students, even if overheard inadvertently.
Hoswell also claimed the Education Directorate created documents with false allegations against him and containing information about his racial heritage, which he feared could be used to harm his future employment prospects. The commission found that Hoswell had misinterpreted certain provisions of the Fair Work Act regarding sexual harassment claims but deemed it unnecessary to determine if the alleged comments constituted harassment. The ruling focused on jurisdictional grounds due to Hoswell's terminated employment.
The Daily Mail has contacted the ACT Education Directorate for comment.