❓ Opposition MP Kirkup questions the Minister for Tourism about the payout to former Tourism WA CEO Gwyn Dolphin, implying political motivations. The Minister defends the decision as part of machinery-of-government changes aimed at reducing agency numbers and senior executive positions, blaming the previous government for the employment conditions.
AnsweredQoN 597Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
TOURISM WA — GWYN DOLPHIN
597. Mr Z.R.F. KIRKUP to the Minister for
Tourism:
I refer to the removal of the CEO of
Tourism WA, Mr Gwyn Dolphin, who, like the minister's brother, was
dismissed by this government for no apparent reason. Can the minister explain
why the government dismissed Mr Dolphin at a cost of $373 000 after only 11 months
as chief executive officer of Tourism WA, or a payout of almost $34 000 for
every month of service?
The
SPEAKER : I will just make a comment there. The former Premier was very
strong on not bringing families or issues with families into Parliament. I think
that is something that you should think of before you ask a question.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Members! I am on my feet. I am making a decision. You have the opportunity in
other areas to query my decision. All I am saying is that it has been a standard
and the former Premier was very strong on not bringing families into this sort
of situation.
597. Mr Z.R.F. KIRKUP to the Minister for
Tourism:
I refer to the removal of the CEO of
Tourism WA, Mr Gwyn Dolphin, who, like the minister's brother, was
dismissed by this government for no apparent reason. Can the minister explain
why the government dismissed Mr Dolphin at a cost of $373 000 after only 11 months
as chief executive officer of Tourism WA, or a payout of almost $34 000 for
every month of service?
The
SPEAKER : I will just make a comment there. The former Premier was very
strong on not bringing families or issues with families into Parliament. I think
that is something that you should think of before you ask a question.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Members! I am on my feet. I am making a decision. You have the opportunity in
other areas to query my decision. All I am saying is that it has been a standard
and the former Premier was very strong on not bringing families into this sort
of situation.
AnswerView source ↗
Thank you, Mr Speaker. I thank the member for the question.
With respect to Mr Dolphin and his position, he was not dismissed. Tourism WA,
like many other agencies, as committed to prior to the election by the
government, was subject to machinery-of-government changes. We came to the
election with the commitment to reduce the number of agencies from 41 to 25. In
the end we achieved a significant reduction. The previous government had an
outrageous number of agencies and departments. It made government unwieldy,
incompetent and ineffective, and probably contributed significantly to the
disastrous financial situation that we inherited. We committed to doing
something about it and as a consequence, when we got into office there was a machinery-of-government
process that resulted in a reduction across agencies with the objective of
trying to reduce the number of senior executive service positions by 20 per cent.
Mr Dolphin's position was one of those positions and the Tourism WA
structure has now been included in the Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and
Innovation. With respect to Mr Dolphin's payout, I am pretty sure that
the conditions of his employment were arranged and organised by the previous
government; we inherited that. His position, with respect to being paid out,
would have been entirely as a consequence of his conditions of employment.
With respect to Mr Dolphin and his position, he was not dismissed. Tourism WA,
like many other agencies, as committed to prior to the election by the
government, was subject to machinery-of-government changes. We came to the
election with the commitment to reduce the number of agencies from 41 to 25. In
the end we achieved a significant reduction. The previous government had an
outrageous number of agencies and departments. It made government unwieldy,
incompetent and ineffective, and probably contributed significantly to the
disastrous financial situation that we inherited. We committed to doing
something about it and as a consequence, when we got into office there was a machinery-of-government
process that resulted in a reduction across agencies with the objective of
trying to reduce the number of senior executive service positions by 20 per cent.
Mr Dolphin's position was one of those positions and the Tourism WA
structure has now been included in the Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and
Innovation. With respect to Mr Dolphin's payout, I am pretty sure that
the conditions of his employment were arranged and organised by the previous
government; we inherited that. His position, with respect to being paid out,
would have been entirely as a consequence of his conditions of employment.
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