ABC ONLINE
Tasmania’s Auditor-General has cleared the State Government of any wrong-doing in its renewal of a department head’s contract in the days before it axed the agency.
Scott Gadd signed a new three-year contract, worth $250,000 a year, a few days before state cabinet decided to abolish the Department of Environment, Parks, Heritage and the Arts.
The Auditor-General Mike Blake has spent weeks examining the time-line and outcomes.
He has concluded the government acted properly, and in the public interest throughout, but also made four recommendations to improve the contract process for senior public servants.
Last month the government confirmed a new position for Mr Gadd as executive director for parks and strategic projects.
Tasmanian Audit Office – Special Reports http://www.audit.tas.gov.au/publications/reports/specialreport/index.html
Direct link to Special Report No.82
http://www.audit.tas.gov.au/publications/reports/specialreport/pdfs/specialreport82.pdf
Greens:
AUDITOR-GENERAL REPORT DOES NOT LET BARTLETT GOVT OFF HOOK
Gadd Contract Still Exposes Taxpayer to Payout
Nick McKim MP
Greens Leader
Tuesday, 18 August 2009
www.tas.greens.org.au
The Tasmanian Greens said that the Auditor-General’s Special Report into the Head of Agency contract renewal, tabled in Parliament today, does not let the Bartlett Labor government off the hook over the fiasco surrounding the renewal of the Secretary’s contract despite the abolition of the Department of Environment, Parks Heritage and the Arts (DEPHA).
Greens Leader Nick McKim MP said that it is clear that the Premier’s decision to proceed with extending the contract of the then-Secretary, Mr Scott Gadd, when he knew that the government was planning to abolish DEPHA has created a potential six figure liability for the taxpayer.
“Lets be clear about this, the taxpayer is now exposed to a potential six figure liability due to Premier’s Bartlett’s bungling which saw a senior public servant appointment be renewed at the same time that he was considering abolishing the Department in question,” Mr McKim said.
“The political machinations of Labor were not part of the Auditor-General’s brief so it is not surprising that the Report does not assess that context, and therefore silence should not be construed as a clean bill of health.”
“The Auditor-General’s Special Report also makes four significant recommendations relating to processes surrounding the standard Head of Agency instrument of appointment, which the Greens support being implemented as soon as practicable.”
don davey
August 18, 2009 at 04:29
and on ,and on, and on, it goes ! I reckon our excuse for a premier has woken to the fact that he’s toast come the election ! so, as the saying goes, make hay while the sun still shines ! I wonder what’s next ?
d.d.
Philip Lowe
August 18, 2009 at 12:06
At best it was gross incompetence.At worst is anybody’s guess.
Pete Godfrey
August 19, 2009 at 01:34
It is good to know that the status quo has been maintained. If the auditor general had found that the government were caught with their hands in the till what would we do.
Glad to hear that the government are squeaky clean, who could have thought otherwise after the Green, Kons, Lennon/Johnson affairs.