Legislative Council Fifty-Third Parliament, First Session (53-1) 53 1 Parliament of South Australia Legislative Council published Question Time Office for the Public Sector Office for the Public Sector The Hon. R.I. LUCAS Legislative Council Office for the Public Sector The Hon. R.I. LUCAS (15:17): I seek leave to make an explanation before directing a question to the minister representing the Minister for the Public Sector on the issue of the public sector. Leave granted. The Hon. R.I. LUCAS Legislative Council The Hon. R.I. LUCAS: There has been a series of questions put to the Minister for the Public Sector in relation to the position of Commissioner for Public Sector Employment. The Minister for the Public Sector gave an answer to the House of Assembly some weeks ago now and the issue again has been put on the public record in relation to a cabinet submission that the minister took to cabinet on 7 April in relation to a replacement for the position of Commissioner for Public Sector Employment. I followed that up with questions in this house which, at this early stage, still remain unanswered. Further issues have been raised with me in relation to the minister's ministerial statement which she made, where she indicated that the government was going to create the Office for the Public Sector, with the Office for Public Sector Renewal, the Office of Public Employment and Review and the Public Sector Workforce Relations agencies to be amalgamated. Ms Erma Ranieri was going to act as the chief executive of the Office for the Public Sector, which would be the new name for those amalgamated agencies. The minister's ministerial statement did indicate that Mr Warren McCann, the current incumbent, would continue in his position until his term ran out at the end of October. I have been advised that Ms Ranieri, prior to the minister answering questions in the house on that first occasion, had already met with staff of the Office of Public Employment and Review and staff from the Public Sector Workforce Relations agency and told them that she would be taking over as the commissioner as from 1 July and that she had commissioned a review to amalgamate her offices with OPER and PSWR with the loss of 15 staff and that she had commissioned KPMG to do work on the amalgamation. My questions to the minister are: 1.	Did the minister meet with staff of the Office of Public Employment and Review and the Public Sector Workforce Relations agency prior to 6 May this year and inform them that she would be taking over as the Commissioner for Public Sector Employment and as the chief executive officer of the amalgamated agencies as from 1 July 2014? 2.	When did she commission KPMG to review the amalgamation of her office with PSWR and OPER and what was the cost of the consultancy? 3.	Was the former Labor ministerial staffer, Ms Rowan Roberts, the KPMG employee who conducted the review for Ms Ranieri? The Hon. G.E. GAGO Legislative Council Minister for Employment, Higher Education and Skills, Minister for Science and Information Economy, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for Business Services and Consumers The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Employment, Higher Education and Skills, Minister for Science and Information Economy, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for Business Services and Consumers) (15:21): I thank the member for his questions and will refer them to minister Close in another place and bring back a response.