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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2024-02-21 Daily Xml
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Cross Border Commissioner

The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI (Leader of the Opposition) (14:33): My questions are to the Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development on the topic of the Cross Border Commissioner. Can the minister describe the nature of her working relationship with the former Cross Border Commissioner? What was the nature of the discussions that the minister had with the Cross Border Commissioner concerning her resignation? Did the Cross Border Commissioner's resignation have anything to do with any difficulties she may have encountered in her working relationship with the department, government officials, the minister or her staff?

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development, Minister for Forest Industries) (14:33): I would have thought the working relationship was obvious. The Cross Border Commissioner had a direct reporting relationship to me as the minister. If the honourable member had looked at the act that established the Cross Border Commissioner, and then which acts are under which minister, that would have been fairly self-evident. However, we know that those opposite don't like doing homework; they just like to come into this place and ask questions that they could find out for themselves.

In terms of the relationship, it was a very regular relationship. We met, I think, on average once a month, or thereabouts, except, for example, when the Cross Border Commissioner was on leave. Many of those were face to face and a number of them were via Teams.

In terms of the reasons for the commissioner moving on to a different role, I did emphasise the last time a question along these lines was asked that it is entirely inappropriate for someone who is not in a political role, in this case the Cross Border Commissioner, to have her personal reasons for going into a different role examined in this place. She is not a political appointee. She was appointed through a merit-based, open recruitment process.

As I said last time I was asked a question along these lines, the reasons that people leave a job are many and varied. People leave jobs for all sorts of reasons, and I think I said that it might be for family reasons, it might be to pursue a particular love for a particular industry, it might be because of changes in relationships, it might be because of health issues or it might be because of remuneration. There are a hundred and one reasons that people change jobs. For those opposite to raise that sort of thing in this chamber—

The Hon. N.J. Centofanti interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN: —is entirely inappropriate and those opposite should really—

The Hon. N.J. Centofanti interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN: —be looking at themselves and whether this is the appropriate way to be treating someone who has been in a role, done a number of foundational and important strategic documents while in that role—

The Hon. N.J. Centofanti: Why isn't she still there, Clare?

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN: The reasons that people leave a role are many and varied and they are personal decisions that should not be subject to this kind of political pointscoring by those opposite.

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