www.mccully.co.nz - 3rd August 2007

A Weekly Report from the Keyboard of Murray McCully
MP for East Coast Bays

Another "Inquiry "

The State Services Commission (SSC) this week announced another inquiry – this time into itself. More accurately, the Commission is to inquire into the processes followed by the state sector in the lead-up to the David Benson-Pope resignation, a process in which its grubby fingerprints are evident everywhere. As has become the fashion under the Clark administration, the SSC will in due course pronounce itself innocent of all charges. No one will be held to account. The Prime Minister will be very happy. The public service will take another slide down the slippery slope of growing partisanship and diminishing credibility that has been its hallmark on Dr Prebble’s watch.

The increasingly brazen use of the white-wash "inquiry" process is merely another symptom of a third term government that regards itself as exempt from any sense of accountability. The Field affair was swept under the political carpet with a $500,000 "inquiry" by QC Noel Ingram that failed to answer the most elementary questions or talk to key witnesses. And that was just fine by the Clark Government, until, of course, Field decided he might stand against the Labour Party in his Mangere electorate. Miraculously, at that point, the Police decided to investigate.

The "Lie in Unison" scandal saw then Labour Department chief executive Dr Bewildered run an internal "inquiry" that declared everybody innocent. It was only when the Ombudsman, who had been lied to by senior officials, conducted his own investigation that wrongs were identified and culprits held to account.

The Hawkes Bay Health Board scandal uncovered by Tony Ryall appears to raise the most serious of questions about the actions of Board managers, Ministers and officials. And so an "inquiry" has been established. Not by the Minister, mind you. By the chief executive of the Ministry of Health. Who, of course, reports to the Minister. And to lead the "inquiry" he has appointed a director of another DHB. Who was, of course appointed to that DHB by the Minister. And the public is supposed to believe that a Ministerial appointee, appointed to run the "inquiry" by someone who also reports to the Minister is going to dispassionately examine the actions of the current and previous Ministers. A prominent beer brand, we understand, has billboards to cater for such fantasies.

The Prebble "Inquiry"

Now the State Services Commissioner Dr Prebble is going to run an "inquiry" into the role of the public service in the events that led to the resignation of David Benson-Pope. So let’s just canvass the potential shortcomings that might have been evident here. And examine just how ideally placed Dr Prebble might be to pronounce judgment.

First, the "inquiry" could find that Ms Setchell, the employee who lost her job in this case, was not treated according to the relevant employment law. If that is the case, the guilty party would be the chief executive of the Ministry Hugh Logan. And, of course, the person who acted as his advisor on the relevant employment issues: one Mark Prebble, State Services Commissioner.

The "inquiry" could and should find that the dismissal breached all public service notions of non-partisanship. But that notion, of course, has already been rejected publicly by the very person whose responsibility it was to protect the integrity of the public service: that would be one Mark Prebble, State Services Commissioner.

The "inquiry" could and should find that the Ministry chief executive, Hugh Logan, fell seriously short of the standards required of him when he withheld the most critical piece of information in the whole affair – the details of Benson-Pope’s conversation with Logan – which ultimately caused the Minister’s downfall, from the deputy State Services Commissioner Mr Rennie. Unfortunately somebody else in a position of even greater responsibility also withheld that information from Mr Rennie: a Dr Mark Prebble, State Services Commissioner.

The "inquiry" could also find that Mr Rennie was seriously remiss in failing to interview Mr Logan competently and thoroughly about details of his conversations with his Minister. That would be fine. Except that Mr Rennie was appointed by the State Services Commissioner, reports to him, and now knows that the critical piece of information he failed to glean was all the time in the possession of said State Services Commissioner, one Dr Mark Prebble.

Finally, the "inquiry" could decide that Mr Logan was inappropriately influenced by his Minister in making the decision about Ms Setchell’s future with the Ministry. Except that both the Minister and Mr Logan have already been publicly declared innocent on that front. By none other than Dr Mark Prebble himself.

Yes folks, whichever way you look at it, the Government has pretty much the perfect guy conducting this independent "inquiry". And the suspense is just killing us here at the worldwide headquarters of mccully.co as we wait for the results.

ENDS

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