Page 1012 - Week 03 - Wednesday, 30 March 2011
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MS BURCH: This is coming from people who were participating in that meeting. They have given me an absolute assurance. This is from the officer involved, and if you are calling that officer a liar, Mr Hanson, then put that on record now.
Mr Hanson: We’re calling you a liar.
MR SPEAKER: Order! Ms Burch, one moment, please. Stop the clocks, thank you. Members, Mrs Dunne was heard in silence, and I expect Ms Burch to be extended the same courtesy. Mr Corbell.
Mr Corbell: On a point of order, Mr Speaker, Mr Hanson said that he was calling the minister a liar. That is unparliamentary, and I ask you to direct him to withdraw the comment.
Mr Hanson: Mr Speaker, I withdraw the comment.
MR SPEAKER: Thank you. For your information, Mr Seselja, that was what I was referring to before. Ms Burch, you have the floor.
MS BURCH: Thank you. This is from the officer to the executive and through to me:
On reflection, I believe the minutes could have been better written, in terms of some of the finer points. However, they were completed by an officer in good faith, who had taken minutes of a number of previous meetings. Minute-taking is not part of this officer’s normal duty. I cleared the minutes on 11 March, prior to them being circulated to all officers …
Not just to those who attended the meeting. In the absence of time I will not read it out, but I am more than happy to table the letter I have from the officer, Mr Neil Harwood, Director, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Services, explaining the minutes and explaining the meeting. The opposition will not want to have a copy of these minutes, because they put paid to their notion. I table the following paper:
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Services—Team meeting 2 March 2011 minutes—Copy of letter to the Chief Executive, Department of Disability, Housing and Community Services, from the Director, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Services, dated 28 March 2011.
Section 9 of the Public Sector Management Act requires public employees to act with reasonable care and skill and to act with probity. As I have said, the message to staff has been to contact the executive responsible for business. The message also that we are putting out to staff, on top of the message to encourage them to participate, is that if they have any concerns, they should contact the senior executive responsible for business integrity risk. Staff should do that if they wish to discuss any concerns about giving evidence to the Bimberi team, including concerns that they are being pressured.
On the matter of the allegations regarding the woodwork teacher that Mrs Dunne spoke about, can I just say that Caloola was informed by the principal of METC—that is Mr David Bromhead—that they required another trainer following issues in relation
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