REMEMBER WHEN

GOLD COAST BULLETIN Thursday March 11, 2004

A media adviser sacked over the ‘winegate’ scandal is rehired in a desperate back pedal by Premier Peter Beattie, who admitted he overreacted and bungled the whole affair until it was blown out of proportion.

Mr Beattie announced the advisor would be re-employed by his own department after it was revealed others on the plane also knew about the wine.

He conceded he may have created a ‘pressure cooker’ atmosphere where people felt they had to lie.

“We ended up in a hothouse here where the circumstances were such that people felt under enormous pressure and they were caught between loyalty to the Minister, loyalty to the Government and doing the right thing,” said Mr Beattie.

The bottle at the centre of the dispute is still with police as investigations continue.

“I should never have allowed that set of circumstances to be created. People should always feel able to tell the truth,” said Mr Beattie.

“I think I created a pressure cooker situation by the way I handled it and I believe the responsibility rests with me.”

He said he was also prompted to overturn his decision because of ‘conflicting legal advice’, although he would not elaborate on the details of the conflicting legal advice.

However, it was believed to be over whether the tarmac at the airport, where the jet was located, was included in the legislation which restricts alcohol in the Lockhart River Aboriginal community.

Police and the Crime and Misconduct Commission both launched investigations after a bottle of red wine was found on the Government jet.