25 June 2024

Labor, Greens MLAs quash Liberals' attempt for committee inquiry into CIT CEO's resignation

| Oliver Jacques
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Canberra Liberals leader Elizabeth Lee: “This government is … obsessed with muzzling any attempt at scrutiny and transparency.” Photo: Michelle Kroll.

Labor and the Greens have blocked a Canberra Liberals motion for an inquiry into the resignation of Canberra Institute of Technology (CIT) CEO Leanne Cover, who quit last week amidst a corruption probe and after two years receiving a $350,000-a year-plus salary while stood down.

Liberals leader Elizabeth Lee’s motion on Tuesday (25 June) sought a Legislative Assembly inquiry into the circumstances surrounding Ms Cover’s resignation and the details of any taxpayer-funded severance payout she may have received. However, all Labor and Green MLAs voted down this motion.

In June 2022, Ms Cover was stood down from her position after the corruption watchdog, the ACT Integrity Commission (ACTIC), announced it was investigating $8.5 million worth of contracts the CIT awarded to companies owned by “skills and complexity” thinker Patrick Hollingworth.

ACTIC had planned to hand a special report on its investigation to the Legislative Assembly last week, but a person named in the report had gone to the Supreme Court seeking an injunction to prevent the Commission from doing so.

READ MORE Stood-down CIT CEO resigns, court action delays inquiry report

In the Assembly, Ms Lee questioned why the former CEO received both full pay and annual pay rises while she was stood down for the two-year duration of the ACTIC inquiry.

“The Canberra Liberals have raised questions on how much longer the CEO would remain on full pay of almost $380,000. We were assured repeatedly that this situation would be reviewed regularly. If there were reviews done, they were utterly useless,” Ms Lee said.

“ACT taxpayers have also forked out the exact same salary for an interim CEO plus additional travel expenses as she does not reside in the ACT … at a time Canberrans are facing a cost-of-living crisis.”

She outlined questions that would be the focus of her proposed inquiry.

“Why, after over two years on paid leave, did Ms Cover resign days after being advised that the Integrity Commissioner was due to hand down his report?” she asked.

“What are the full details of her payout following her resignation?”

woman

CIT CEO Leanne Cover resigned last week. Photo: File.

In opposing the motion, Skills Minister Chris Steel, who is responsible for CIT, said an inquiry would be inappropriate while the ACTIC investigation was ongoing.

“This is effectively asking for an inquiry into the circumstances of an inquiry that is still underway,” he said.

ACT Greens Leader Shane Rattenbury said his party may support an inquiry into the CEO’s resignation in the future but also wanted to wait for the full ACTIC report.

Ms Lee rejected these arguments, saying the ACTIC investigation was not “active” and was completed in November last year.

“This government is … obsessed with muzzling any attempt at scrutiny and transparency,” she said.

READ MORE Second court action to stop Integrity Commission report but taxpayers not paying legal fees (this time)

Ms Lee said the CIT matter was of considerable public interest.

“The CEO was stood down after the utterly ridiculous terms and extraordinary values of the contracts came to light,” she said.

She listed the type of services for which the CIT paid companies owned by Patrick Hollingworth.

“Design processes, systems and structures that enable greater coordination of analysis and strategic decision-making in relation to product offerings and services and type of feedback mechanisms to apply – I have to take a breath here, madam speaker – apply a coherent approach to the implementation of strategic actions for the whole organisation.

“It would be laughable if it wasn’t eight-and-a-half million dollars of ACT taxpayers’ money.”

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Alice Bickersteth1:06 pm 27 Jun 24

I don’t normally support the Libs but good on Elizabeth for holding the Government accountable.

Jack D should get a regular column on RiotAct telling us what a great job The ACT Government does

A number of RiotACT-ers would suggest that will do Bushnell out of a job, franky22.

I can’t wait to see Jack D.’s spin on this one.

Theres no evidence of any wrong doing. All evidence has been removed.

I didn’t watch the debate JS. I do suspect though that it was a rehash of Elizabeth Lee’s shameful efforts over the past month to use parliamentary privilege to name and smear public servants and ministers of the government. Ms Lee, by demanding a parliamentary and parallel inquiry into the Integrity Commission and court proceedings into CIT procurement processes, is potentially compromising these independent legal processes which are still underway. I do note from a quick browse of the debate that deputy speaker Mark Parton was forced to admonish Peter Cain for his usual unparliamentary behaviour of constantly bellowing across the chamber at those he disagrees with!

Another reprehensible political stunt from a leader who will stoop to any level to win government and appease the dominant and far right wing of her party!

Jack D. That response has to be the most ridiculous load of garbage I’ve read on here.

@Jack D.
As the resident expert on all things ACT Labor, you will not doubt correct me if I’m wrong, Jack D.

However, given Ms. Cover resigned after ACTIC had completed its investigation (it had in fact “planned to hand a special report on its investigation to the Legislative Assembly last week”), how is an “inquiry into the circumstances surrounding Ms Cover’s resignation and the details of any taxpayer-funded severance payout she may have received” in any way parrallel to the the “Integrity Commission and court proceedings into CIT procurement processes”?

If the resignation occurred after the fact, then neither the inquiry nor the court proceedings have anything to do with that (i.e. the circumstances surrounding the resignation or severance payout).

Nice deflection, by the way, but who cares that Peter Cain was admonished by the Deputy Speaker “for his usual unparliamentary behaviour of constantly bellowing across the chamber at those he disagrees with!”? For me, the only remotely interesting part is the fact that it was his own party colleague who admonished him – no partisan favouritism there.

How pathetic is this Barr govt. Clearly there’s something to hide. It’s about time this crowd became accountable to the people who fund their incompetence.

When this happens and the plebs still give them the golden ticket its time to start questioning the intelligence of those plebs. What exactly are they getting from this government?

Matthew Scott7:45 am 27 Jun 24

It’s not about rewarding or punishing performance, it’s about supporting your side and unfortunately most Canberra voters barrack for the Greens-Labor coalition like Joffa barracks for Collingwood. They stick with them through the good and the bad. Right now, I would like to think they at least concede they are going through a bad spell. Problem is they will stick with their team in the hope that something will work out our. The thought of switching teams would never be a consideration.

Yes both sides have their rusted on but surely I’m not the only swinging voter in Canberra? It’s not about teams it’s about Canberra and what’s good and what is not good is a Government of any colour getting reelected every time. Diversity of Government is important. No one knows how the other mob will perform but we know how the Labor/Greens will!

Obscene.
Taxpayers have a right to know.

This sorry saga stinks to high heaven. Injunctions against the findings of the ACTIC inquiry? Sounds like someone has something to hide.

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