Still more questions than answers
Tasmanians need more details before they can move on from questions around Sarah Courtney, writes Jo Siejka
THE curious scandal that has rocked the Hodgman Liberal Government over the personal life of former primary industries minister Sarah Courtney has — in the public eye — focused on the revelation that she is involved in a relationship with her departmental chief.
That’s natural enough and to be expected in an environment where the private lives of public figures including politicians are fodder for the news cycle.
But in the fallout of Ms Courtney’s declaration over her personal relationship and the subsequent inquiry into whether that had any effect on important decisions she made — or did not make — as minister, an important point has escaped the public’s attention.
The investigation was completely inadequate and reeks of a cover-up.
Even Ms Courtney herself has missed that point that this was never about who the minister chose to become intimate with.
In her first commentary on the saga last week since the Premier’s announcement on October 16 that she had been stood aside pending an investigation, Ms Courtney said: “While I understand the public interest in this matter during the period of these reviews taking place, my relationship is a private and personal matter and I hope that privacy is respected.
“I do not intend to provide any further public commentary on my relationship.”
Should we be so closely focused on the deeply personal details of Ms Courtney’s private life? No. But should her admission that she was potentially conflicted by that relationship, leading to what has now been confirmed as a breach of the Ministerial Code of Conduct, be a serious focus? Yes, of course it should be. The responsibilities entrusted to Ms Courtney as Primary Industries Minister affect Tasmanians.
And this sorry episode and the fallout has now raised more questions than it has answered.
The Premier’s conclusion that all decisions Ms Courtney made while she was primary industries minister were OK holds no weight while important questions remain.
The Premier’s decision that Ms Courtney should not be penalised but, in fact, rewarded with a posting to another important Cabinet position as the new Minister for Building and Construction, is unacceptable in the context of his “investigation” into the matter.
Fundamentally, was the investigation the Premier instigated into Ms Courtney’s conflicts of interest and breach of the Ministerial Code a proper and thorough investigation at all?
It failed, the Premier has confirmed, to reach out to staff members in the Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment who wanted to be interviewed over perceived conflicts of interest and may hold information critical to those conflicts.
DPIPWE staff were willing to talk but were so concerned about potential consequences, they approached their union representatives who, in turn, approached Premier Hodgman seeking assurances that speaking out and providing frank advice would not result in risk to their jobs under the State Service Code of Conduct.
The Premier failed to respond.
Of course DPIPWE staff must be allowed to have their say, particularly if they have information about any alleged conflict of interest on Ms Courtney’s behalf.
Now that it has been confirmed Ms Courtney breached the Ministerial Code of Conduct but escaped any real penalty, there are genuine concerns about decisions she was responsible for.
We are still in the dark on exactly when the relationship between Ms Courtney and her departmental Secretary Dr John Whittington began and though I understand Tasmanians will be questioning why that is anyone’s business other than the two people involved, it’s a critical point.
The timeline of their relationship is crucial to establishing what decisions were made by Ms Courtney and each decision she made — or did not make — stretching back to her appointment to the ministry in March needs to be examined.
The fact is Sarah Courtney has now been proven to have clearly breached the Ministerial Code of Conduct by what the Premier termed independent investigation and it is irrelevant that Will Hodgman has chosen to dismiss that because he describes it as a “minor” breach. That should mean something, there should be consequences.
To provide context, other scandals involving politicians and their private lives have had wide-reaching consequences and devastating effects on careers. The most spectacular example being, of course, Barnaby Joyce’s relationship with his media adviser which cost him the deputy prime ministership.
But the fact is there have been no consequences for Sarah Courtney.
She remains in Will
Hodgman’s Cabinet.
She has been shifted sideways to another ministerial portfolio and slapped on the wrist.
This serious, precedent- setting situation should not be allowed to end here. The Government is treating Tasmanians with arrogant contempt when it says — in the words of Treasurer Peter Gutwein — “we have now moved on”.
Nobody should be permitted to move on until a thorough investigation has been carried out and each piece of the puzzle examined.
Fundamentally, is the investigation the Premier instigated into Ms Courtney’s conflicts of interest and breach of the Ministerial Code a proper and thorough investigation at all?