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Legislative Council - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2009-04-28 Daily Xml
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GOVERNMENT APPOINTMENTS

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS (16:15): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Leader of the Government a question about Public Service appointments.

Leave granted.

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS: In March a series of questions were asked of the minister about the appointment of three former Labor ministerial staffers to senior director level positions in his own Department of Planning and Local Government. Those persons were Lois Boswell, George Vanco and Kaye Noske. Also, questions were raised about these appointments being made without advertising and, of course, those appointments, as I indicated at that time, had generated some significant unrest at senior levels of the minister's department. I have been contacted by another angry whistleblower at a senior level of the Public Service of South Australia who says:

Following your questions in parliament about the appointment process for directors in the Department of Planning and Local Government—

The Hon. B.V. Finnigan interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS: Mr President, I am indebted to the services of my web site and Facebook, and I would encourage anyone else with important information to share to continue to contact me, as they have been doing on a regular basis.

The Hon. B.V. Finnigan interjecting:

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS: I thank the Hon. Mr Finnigan for his interjection.

The Hon. J.S.L. Dawkins: I wouldn't talk about garden gnomes too much, Bernie.

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS: Particularly speeding garden gnomes, and ones who do not pay their fines and welsh on their bets, but we will not talk about that on this occasion.

The Hon. J.S.L. Dawkins: That shut Bernie up, didn't it?

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS: Yes. His close personal friend, who might even be a Facebook friend. I will return to the quote and not be diverted by the Hon. Mr Finnigan. It states:

Following your questions in parliament about the appointment process for directors in the Department of Planning and Local Government, the department has now advertised the positions towards legitimising the appointment of the incumbent political appointments. It is apparent that the appointment process is done on a basis of ensuring that Kaye Noske, George Vanco and Lois Boswell, in particular, have the greatest opportunity to confirm their current appointments.

I am advised that, first, none of these particular advertisements was advertised in Career One in The Advertiser or in The Australian, which I am told is the normal process when attempting to lure the best candidates for senior director level positions within government departments. I am advised also that, on Saturday (Anzac Day) in the South Australian government's Notice of Vacancies, an online advertisement was placed for these particular positions. So, on Saturday, they were placed online with a closure date of just over a week later, 4 May. I am also advised that they were not included in The Advertiser's government notice of vacancies section, which is the careers section, but were included in the—

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY: I have a point of order, Mr President. The Hon. Mr Lucas sought leave to make a brief statement. He has been going for three minutes and is only half way through his statement. Can you direct him to get straight to the question?

The PRESIDENT: Order! The Hon. Mr Lucas will—

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS: Mr President, part of it was taken up with interjections from his colleagues.

The PRESIDENT: Order! The Hon. Mr Lucas will get to his question.

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS: Thank you, Mr President. The specific disclaimer on that advertisement was only available to public sector employees. I am advised also that the job and person specifications were not made available on Saturday and were made available only today, six days prior to the close of nominations. I am also advised that the positions have been advertised as permanent, not as five-year contract positions, as is meant to be the case. I am also advised that, as of lunch time today, the Department of Planning and Local Government's own website, under the section of 'Careers' says a number of things, for example:

You are encouraged to apply for vacant positions you see advertised externally and set out below on the department's website.

When you look at that, it then says, 'There are no advertised positions at this time.' The department's own website states there are no advertised positions at this particular stage. I am advised that the department's website is actually controlled by the Director of Communications, Ms Kaye Noske, who is the incumbent of one of the positions that is supposedly advertised.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS: My questions are as follows:

1. Does the minister accept that it is unfair to other public servants interested in applying for these jobs that the process I have outlined is being used by the minister and his department to fill these senior director level positions?

2. Will the minister explain why his department's own website is still indicating, as of lunch time today, that there are no current advertised positions available for careers within his department, when clearly senior director level positions are being advertised?

3. Will the minister explain why these particular positions are being advertised as permanent positions as opposed to five-year contract positions, which we understand is the government's policy in relation to executive level appointments?

4. Finally, will the minister now concede that his department is now just engaged in an outrageous, improper and unfair attempted stitch-up to try to ensure that three former Labor staffers are locked in permanently to high-paying executive positions in his department prior to the election?

The Hon. P. HOLLOWAY (Minister for Mineral Resources Development, Minister for Urban Development and Planning, Minister for Small Business) (16:22): The answer to the last question is no. The first matter that needs to be addressed is in relation to Kaye Noske. Kaye Noske I think briefly worked, as many journalists work, for members on both sides of politics, including the Hon. Frank Blevins back in the 1990s—nearly 18 years ago. Following that she had worked in PIRSA under ministers such as the Hon. Rob Kerin for many years. She worked briefly as a journalist for a Labor minister nearly 20 years ago—a very competent person, as those who have worked with her in that department would know. I know this in relation to Kaye Noske because I was minister for agriculture, food and fisheries for some time and Kaye Noske worked there. With the Hons Caroline Schaefer, Rob Kerin and other ministers before that, she had had a role in the communications department.

As was indicated, there was a vacancy in that area and she was asked to go, I understand, to work in the new Department of Planning and Local Government from the key position she had within PIRSA, and that was because of her outstanding values in that regard. It is grossly unfair that the honourable member should use the fact that someone once worked for a Labor government nearly 20 years ago and suggest that that should somehow disqualify them from all positions in future. One thing that characterises the Rann Labor government over previous Liberal governments is that we will appoint people regardless of their political background.

I noticed today that my colleague in another place, the Minister for Regional Development, has used the services of Rob Kerin in relation to a very important issue—regional development boundaries. I can think of nobody better to do that job. The one thing that distinguishes this government from members opposite is that we are prepared to use people on their merits, and that is exactly what the government has done here. In relation to what might be on the departmental website, I will take that part of the question on notice (I do not know what is on the website as it is a matter for the department) and get back to the honourable member.

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