Shadow Minister for Health and Human Services

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23
Jun

Questions over new million dollar health department job

2009

Less than a month after the Premier announced a moratorium on new public sector jobs in response to the global financial crisis, the Health Minister signed off on a new $1 million appointment in her own department.

Alice Burchill was appointed Deputy Secretary, Care Reform, in November last year.

It was revealed today that the Secretary of the Health Department, David Roberts, pointed a recruitment agency in the direction of Ms Burchill, a former business partner of his in the UK.

On top of a commencement salary of $199, 579 – rising to $229,882 from 2011, Ms Burchill received:

• Relocation expenses of $55,000
• A special accommodation payment worth up to $17,150
• Additional recreational leave to meet family commitments in the UK
• A communications package worth $5000 and a
• Car worth $21,600

This was at the same time the department had identified it needed to save $16.7 million in 08/09 in response to the global financial crisis, and $48.5 million the following year.

This is also an SES position – and the Premier has now announced that 25 must go.

While the recruitment process was underway at the time the moratorium was announced, it unbelievable the Minister proceeded with this new position and the fact that SES positions in her own department will now be lost to help meet the budget shortfall confirms that.

While it was appropriate that Mr Roberts removed himself from the process by which Ms Burchill was appointed, he was clearly involved in identifying her for the position.

There is considerable angst within the health department’s own ranks about this issue.

There are other questions that need to be answered too.

Ms Giddings was also at pains to refuse disclosing who it was in her department who recommended Ms Burchills’ husband to the Public Sector Management Office for the position of external facilitator on a range of issues related to a new industrial agreement for salaried medical practitioners.

The position did not proceed after the AMA rejected it.

Mr Roberts’ son was also employed in the department for a period.

Ms Giddings also should explain whether her department has previously paid anything like the extraordinary sum of $55,000 for relocation expenses for any new employee.

At a time of heightened focus on government nepotism and waste, the Minister’s performance in Budget Estimates hearings today didn’t address these concerns.