❓ Opposition questions the Health Minister regarding potential corruption and inappropriate gift acceptance by Department of Health staff, specifically sponsored travel. The Minister defends the practices, citing previous reviews and lack of findings of wrongdoing.
AnsweredQoN 649Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
DEPARTMENT
OF HEALTH STAFF — GIFTS AND BENEFITS — CORRUPTION AND CRIME
COMMISSION REFERRAL
649. Mr R.H. COOK to the Minister for
Health:
I refer the Minister for Health to
the hundreds of thousands of dollars in benefits received by Department of
Health staff from private medical and pharmaceutical companies between November
2012 and June this year, and the referral to the Corruption and Crime
Commission of 108 potential instances of inappropriate gift acceptance.
(1) Is it not
true that most of the gifts the CCC will investigate will be sponsored travel
to conferences?
(2) What has the
minister done to ensure doctors can safely accept legitimate sponsored
conference travel?
(3) What level of
blame does the minister now take for failing to stop this potentially improper
or inappropriate practice and placing the careers of these health professionals
in jeopardy?
OF HEALTH STAFF — GIFTS AND BENEFITS — CORRUPTION AND CRIME
COMMISSION REFERRAL
649. Mr R.H. COOK to the Minister for
Health:
I refer the Minister for Health to
the hundreds of thousands of dollars in benefits received by Department of
Health staff from private medical and pharmaceutical companies between November
2012 and June this year, and the referral to the Corruption and Crime
Commission of 108 potential instances of inappropriate gift acceptance.
(1) Is it not
true that most of the gifts the CCC will investigate will be sponsored travel
to conferences?
(2) What has the
minister done to ensure doctors can safely accept legitimate sponsored
conference travel?
(3) What level of
blame does the minister now take for failing to stop this potentially improper
or inappropriate practice and placing the careers of these health professionals
in jeopardy?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(3) I
take all responsibility, as I should as a minister, but, at this stage, none of
these people has been found to have done anything wrong. Although some of those
issues, which were largely just a matter of reporting, are being investigated,
I am not aware that anyone has been found to have inappropriately received any
gift or gratuity. We have been through this at length; members will recall that
years ago I was concerned about the large amount of travel sponsored by outside
organisations being undertaken and I referred that to the Public Sector
Commissioner to go through. He did that and found that nothing inappropriate
was being done, but suggested some tightening of the rules around declarations
of interest and the like. Subsequently, the auditor again went through all of
those and again found that no individual had acted inappropriately and
recommended further changes, which have been implemented.
I am comfortable —
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Members!
Dr
K.D. HAMES : — that those members who receive sponsorships for
travel are doing so appropriately. I will wait, as we all will, for the outcome
of any inquiry.
take all responsibility, as I should as a minister, but, at this stage, none of
these people has been found to have done anything wrong. Although some of those
issues, which were largely just a matter of reporting, are being investigated,
I am not aware that anyone has been found to have inappropriately received any
gift or gratuity. We have been through this at length; members will recall that
years ago I was concerned about the large amount of travel sponsored by outside
organisations being undertaken and I referred that to the Public Sector
Commissioner to go through. He did that and found that nothing inappropriate
was being done, but suggested some tightening of the rules around declarations
of interest and the like. Subsequently, the auditor again went through all of
those and again found that no individual had acted inappropriately and
recommended further changes, which have been implemented.
I am comfortable —
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Members!
Dr
K.D. HAMES : — that those members who receive sponsorships for
travel are doing so appropriately. I will wait, as we all will, for the outcome
of any inquiry.
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