Pressure to hire a friend

“ENORMOUS pressure’’ was exerted by former Education Department director-general Julie Grantham and her husband to hire a family friend for a plum job, a court was told.

The department’s former Gold Coast boss Glen Hoppner is facing a committal hearing charged with misconduct in public office over an alleged nepotism scandal at the state-run Runaway Bay Sports Super Centre.

Ms Grantham has already been committed to stand trial after a Crime and Corruption Commission probe into the hiring of her son Lachlan and family friend Hunter Paltridge for lucrative jobs at the sports centre which was overseen by Education Queensland.

Mrs Grantham’s husband Neil also worked at the facility, Southport Magistrates Court heard yesterday.

The court was told centre managing director David Morgan attended a Christmas party at the Granthams’ Gold Coast home in December 2011 where Hoppner was present.

Ms Grantham allegedly told Mr Morgan she wanted thencentre manager Mark Wingett “removed’’.

Mr Grantham later allegedly told Mr Morgan that he (Grantham) and his wife had met with Mr Paltridge and felt he would be the best person to replace Wingett.

Under cross-examination by defence barrister Saul Holt SC, Mr Morgan admitted that despite being “acutely concerned’’ about Ms Gran

tham’s influence, he agreed to meet Mr Paltridge at the Granthams’ house.

The court heard Mr Grantham also applied for Mr Wingett’s job but was not short-listed because Mr Morgan was concerned about ‘perception’ after Lachlan Grantham’s appointment.

Mr Morgan said he shortlisted him because he felt “an enormous amount of pressure to do so’’. He told the court job applications from Mr Grantham and Mr Paltridge were both emailed by Ms Grantham via Hoppner and Hoppner told him that Mr Paltridge was ‘the best candidate’ for the position.

In June 2012, he received a phone call from Hoppner who said to him: “You’ve got to do it now, it’s got to occur ... Hunter’s the man.’’

The case was adjourned until February.