Mr. Wyatt questions the Premier about the severance payout to Mr. Larsson, alleging it was excessive and demanding justification. The Premier defends the payout based on precedents set by the previous Labor government.

AnsweredQoN 572Legislative Assembly
Asked
27 September 2012
Portfolio
Premier

QuestionView source ↗

JAMES LARSSON —
RESIGNATION PAYOUT
572. Mr B.S. WYATT to the Premier:
I have a supplementary question. In light of the fact the
Premier just said Mr Larsson was constructively dismissed because he made a
serious mistake and that his standards did not meet the appropriate standards,
I ask now, for apparently the seventeenth time, why he was paid up to five
times more than he was entitled?

AnswerView source ↗

Instead of four weeks' notice, he was paid out
through that period. That was handled between Mr Larsson —
Mr B.S. Wyatt : You
must now know—I have asked 17 times!
Mr C.J. BARNETT :
And 17 times I have answered! That was handled by —
Mr B.S. Wyatt : No;
five times more.
Mr C.J. BARNETT : I
am trying to answer the question.
That was handled through the Department of the Premier and
Cabinet. I do not know what Mr Conran had to say today, but those negotiations
and that payment was based on precedent. If the opposition wants to go to
precedents relating to former employees of the Labor government—I will
not do that—the precedent was based on payments made to former Labor
staffers —
Mr B.S. Wyatt :
Rubbish!
Mr C.J. BARNETT :
The member may not want to go there, but it was based entirely on the
precedents set by Labor. 

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