The Legislative Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee has finished it’s inquiry into the miserable waste of taxpayers money that has been the Rhodium debacle.
From the committee’s media release:
- The unfortunate events at Rhodium Asset Solutions Ltd do not reflect well on any of the participants. Management, led by the former CEO, engaged in ill-advised spending, treated company assets and business as personal benefits and failed to establish policies and practices of even a basic acceptable standard. The Board failed in its duty to supervise management and did not place any priority on addressing key areas where they were aware of weaknesses. The shareholders, while not directly responsible for the day to day failures and questionable behaviour at Rhodium, failed to establish and communicate its expectations to the company.
Chief Minister Stanhope is furious in response and putting on his angry voice to declare everyone else to be wrong:
- The Greens and Liberals were today exposed for abusing the Assembly committee processes in making an unfounded and indefensible attack on the Government, Chief Minister Jon Stanhope said today.
Mr Stanhope said he had obtained legal advice from the ACT Government Solicitor, Mr Peter Garrisson, which utterly demolished the politically-motivated allegations made by the Standing Committee on Public Accounts against him and the Deputy Chief Minister, in a report on Rhodium Asset Solutions.
We’ve already seen that the ACT Government Solicitor says pretty much whatever Mr Stanhope needs him to say and the courts have disagreed with that view in other matters of investigation (Coroner Doogan springs to mind).
UPDATED: With thanks to LG the ABC report is up which notes that Karin MacDonald has now done Mr. Stanhope down for the second time in two days.
These things often come in threes….
ANOTHER UPDATE: Deb Foskey has hit back with another media release:
- “The take home message from the Assembly committee, which can only make recommendations to Government about government related responsibilities, is that shareholder responsibility for Territory Owned Corporations (TOCs) needs to be looked at more closely.”
“Those shareholders, being the Chief Minister and the Deputy Chief Minister, appointed the Board which still exists, and the Board appointed the CEO.”
“This report has implications for the other TOCs – ACTEW and ACTTAB – where the same shareholders may have a similar interpretation of their roles.”
“Given the crucial role of ACTEW in ensuring the provision of potable water to the ACT, it is important that the shareholders now review their responsibilities under the TOC Act so that ACT residents, whose interest they represent, can feel confidence in them”
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Carnell was hung drawn and quartered based on the Auditor – generals report. The Auditor-General said the same thing as the assembly report TWO years ago – Difference minority Government.
Stanhope himself is looking more minority in Government. He will not last after the election. Dead man walking
Yes, but mr Stanhope has his own legal advice that says he’s not responsible.
Again….
The whole Rhodium affair smells bad – Carnell went for Bruce Stadium and Stanhope should go for Rhodium
WIN news just had an apology to the Govt/ Stanhope etc for last nights story reporting on the Rhodium affair. Something about being sorry for suggesting adverse findings on the Govt. So can we assume govt lawyers got on to WIN and forced an apology for simply reporting the findings from the Rhodium report? Just gets better and better!
Jon really needs to get with the Beattie program, and learn that admitting mistakes can play well – particulaly in a case like this where it’s pretty easy to point the finger at the real villains.
I wonder why they don’t vest the shares in TOC more widely – one to each member of cabinet, say. It’d make it easier to diffuse the blame when things go wrong…
I literally did laugh out loud (much as I can’t logically understand my reaction at all).
: )
Did you hear the one about the inflatable punching clown?
One day he went mad and stabbed his family to death. Then he turned his weapon on himself.
Luckily he awoke in hospital and was soon before the judge.
The Judge said, “You’ve let your mum down, you’ve let your dad down.”
“But worst of all, you’ve let yourself down.”
The spiky hair is cute, but!
: )
Rather than being inflatable, I’d describe Stanhope as more of your run-of-the-mill puffed up clown.
Come to think of it, Stanhope is just like an inflatable punching clown, except with spiky hair.
Inflatable Punching Clown for Chief Minister!
It will be interesting to see if this actually hurts the government given that they seem to be able to effortlessly reel with the blows and come back like one of those inflatable punching clowns.
The Chief Minister never accepts responsibility for anything.
If Pangallo ever becomes Chief Minister I’ll move back to Queanbeyan.
I think this perfectly illustrates why Stanhope should go.
His arrogance and petulance towards anyone that dares criticise him in anyway is quite astounding.
And his quite severe attacks on the integrity of others is becoming an embarrassment.
Maybe I underestimated Karin MacDonald. She sure seems to have some guts.
the point is that regardless it will not be Chief Minister Stanhope
Chief Minister Gallagher? Fair dinkum, let’s get Pangallo. He’s done alright for Queanbeyan.
Make you wonder how long he will hold on for after the election when they lose their majority (I have no doubt that this will be the outcome) – who is running the book?
Chief Minister Gallagher? or will it be Barr?
attack is the first form of defence?
someone’s getting worried..
You get the distinct impression that had ACT Labor not been in Government for the last 4 years that they may have imploded in similar fashion to the Libs. There looks to be as much drama in the Labor party room as there has been on the other side, with the only difference being that Jon’s team were a bit too busy governing to fight much.
Q. How difficult has this time been for you personally? Did you feel torn between the pressures of party loyalty and doing what you believed was right?