Page 4285 - Week 15 - Tuesday, 20 November 1990
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The evidence that the committee felt to be misleading was in relation to questioning about advice given by the Interim Territory Planning Authority to the Government in relation to school closures. In effect, Mr Willmot was asked whether the Planning Authority had recommended against the closure of any schools. Mr Willmot said no. The correct answer was yes. The ITPA in a report - which, in fact, members of the Opposition had available to them, so they were able to pursue this matter, but which we may not have had and we may not have known about - had recommended against closure of certain schools.
It would have been perfectly proper for Mr Willmot to say, in answer to that question, "There were certain recommendations but, on advice from my officers and in relation to other advice, I declined to follow that", or "In my view that advice was wrong". It is perfectly proper for a public servant to say that. But it is a very serious matter when the answer given was no. We were aware that that answer was misleading because we happened to have the report in front of us. But what if we had not had that report in front of us, Mr Speaker? That information would have guided the committee to a wrong conclusion - and it is a matter of very serious concern when that happens. As the committee says, we formed the view that the matter would not be taken further and that the mere bringing of this matter to light should bring to bear heavily on the minds of all future witnesses who appear before the Estimates Committee that this type of activity is simply unacceptable.
If a senior public servant is being questioned in an area of controversy, an area going to the heart of controversial government decision making, it is always open to that officer to refer questioning to his or her Minister, and it is the Minister who quite properly can take the heat. But it is unacceptable for a senior officer to give advice that is misleading.
I would also like to place on record my particular concern about some other evidence from another senior officer in that same department but in relation to the health area. Mr Bissett made some remarks about waste in the health area. We were discussing Jindalee Nursing Home and he gave as an example of wasteful use of labour resources the persons who provide the food at Jindalee. He said that it takes 25 people to serve 100 meals and, indeed, I think Mr Humphries endorsed the view that that seemed pretty wasteful, and on we went to some other questions. I thought about that for a minute and that just did not seem right and I brought him back to it. I said: "Do you mean 25 people are there to serve 100 meals?", so that I serve my four and then I go back and read the newspaper and Mrs Grassby serves her four and so it goes. He said, "No, that is not the case. They operate on shifts". And we found that there were about seven or eight there at any one time serving these meals. We pursued it and we found that what they did was very much like what they do in a restaurant.
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