Labor: Golden Handshakes Galore

Media release – Dean Winter MP, Shadow Minister for Racing, 3 December 2022

Golden handshakes mount but Ogilvie’s terminated CEO payout remains secret

The Liberal Government continues to use millions in taxpayer money to give golden handshakes to Tasmanian business executives.

After last year’s staggering payouts of $3 million to former Hydro Tasmania executives, the trend continued with this week’s GBE hearings outlining over $1 million of mega payouts to Executives across Government businesses including:

1. Aurora Energy paying Rebecca Kardos a termination payout of $224,000;

2. TasPorts paying Geoff Duggan a termination payout of $303,000; and

3. TasNetworks paying Phillipa Bartlett a termination payout of $264,000 and Mike Payne a payout of $376,000.

But there is one termination payment disclosure still outstanding for former Tasracing CEO Paul Eriksson.

Mr Eriksson left the business on July 8 2022, just days into the current financial year, meaning it was not disclosed in the 2021-2022 Tasracing Annual Report.

Minister Ogilvie must come out of hiding and explain how much was given to the former CEO, who had his employment terminated less than four months into a three-year contract.

Minister Ogilvie, who was consulted on Mr Eriksson’s reappointment and admitted to having ‘noted’ it prior to its announcement, must explain why she signed off on the reappointment and then covered up his termination just months later.

Minister Ogilvie has misled Parliament, Tasmanians and almost certainly Racing Australia, who employed Mr Eriksson only a short time after Ms Ogilvie claimed he had simply wanted to return to Sydney for family reasons.