CIT CEO Leanne Cover has been stood down for the duration of the investigation. Photo: File.
The Canberra Institute of Technology (CIT) is still paying two CEOs, meaning the institute is likely spending over $700,000 on its chief executives per year.
CEO Leanne Cover received a 3.5 per cent pay rise earlier this year despite being stood down since June 2022 while the ACT Integrity Commission investigates CIT’s contracts with “complexity and systems thinker” Patrick Hollingworth.
According to the Australian Capital Territory Remuneration Tribunal, the CEO of CIT is now awarded a base salary of $340,561 and a total remuneration package of $373,061.
The pay increase occurred at the start of this financial year when the independent tribunal raised the salaries of full-time statutory office holders, including the Victims of Crime Commissioner and the CEO of Legal Aid ACT.
At the same time, CIT is paying Melbourne-based Christine Robertson as interim chief executive.
“We have an interim CEO, Christine Robertson … and the CEO is still on paid leave as the board has determined that is the appropriate action to allow procedural fairness to unfold,” Kate Lundy, chair of the CIT board, told an annual reports hearing on Friday (27 November).
“As we all know, the matter is still with the Integrity Commission.”
Asked exactly how much the CIT is spending on its two CEOs, Ms Lundy said she would have to take the question on notice to confirm the specifics.
Integrity Commissioner Michael Adams KC told annual report hearings earlier this month that the corruption watchdog is close to releasing the first findings from its investigation into the consultancy contracts awarded to Mr Hollingworth.
Over five years, over $8.5 million was given to his companies, ThinkGarden and Redrouge Nominees Pty Ltd, for services including mentoring and organisational transformation.
The last and most significant of those contracts was worth $4.99 million and was signed in March 2022, four months after the Integrity Commission first received a complaint.
Mr Adams said the first findings will focus on a particular area of concern, and there will be more to come in the future.
“There’s already been a great deal of work on the wider investigation, but much work still has to be done in that area,” he explained.
Asked whether the findings of the first report would affect Ms Cover’s position, Mr Adams did not want to comment.
“I don’t think I should disclose that one way or another, I’m afraid,” he said.
Ms Lundy said she was unable to answer how much longer Ms Cover would remain on leave.
“I think we’re all hopeful that the Integrity Commission is drawing its investigation to a close and we’ll hear soon. I’m sure the Integrity Commission is very aware of the challenging situation this extended period of time has put the CIT in,” she said.
“That said, we also, in the very first instance, respect completely the Integrity Commission’s role in investigating this in this way they see fit.
“We’re all hoping we’ll hear from them soon.”
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