Lost bundle but kept pay

Margaret Wenham and Steven Wardill

December 07, 2006

QUEENSLAND’S highest paid public servant asked for and has been granted a radical reduction in his responsibilities.

But relinquishing the role as co-ordinator-general will not result in Ross Rolfe,  taking a pay cut.

Premier Peter Beattie yesterday confirmed that to be so, after having announced a major machinery of government change which will see the creation of a new Department of Infrastructure Delivery to be headed by former Education director-general, Ken Smith, with Smith also becoming co-ordinator-general.

The move frees up Mr Rolfe to focus on being Mr Beattie’s right-hand man as director-general of the Department of Premier and Cabinet, which includes co-ordinating policy across government.

It also relieves the high-flying bureaucrat of half the crushing workload he has been carrying since Mr Beattie made him his departmental director-general in October last year, about three months after he was appointed co-ordinator-general in charge of driving Queensland’s major infrastructure projects.

For the past three months Mr Rolfe’s dual role has meant reporting to both the Premier and his deputy, Anna Bligh, who had infrastructure added to her responsibilities after the September election.

In an email circulated on Wednesday to staff in the Office of the Co-ordinator-General, Mr Rolfe said he had asked Mr Beattie and Ms Bligh to appoint another senior bureaucrat as co-ordinator-general.

He said: “Unfortunately … the pressures on my time (and energies) arising from my responsibilities as director-general, Department of Premier and Cabinet, and the program that the Premier has set for me to achieve in that role over this term of office require me to make a choice. And I have done that.”

Mr Rolfe, who previously held senior executive positions in the Queensland Public Service, was headhunted in July 2005 from the state-owned power generator Stanwell Corporation.

He brought with him his Stanwell salary of more than $375,000 plus bonuses, making him easily the highest paid public servant in Queensland.

Mr Beattie said the new infrastructure department would formally come on-line on January 17 under Ms Bligh’s Treasury and Infrastructure portfolio.

He said the splitting of co-ordinator-general from the director-generalship of his department would establish a clearer focus on delivering infrastructure.

 
Beattie raises pay to fat cats, despite woes

Sean Parnell
January 20, 2007

QUEENSLAND Premier Peter Beattie has awarded pay rises of up to $175,000 to the state’s topbureaucrats, placing them among the highest-paid in Australia, despite a series of crises that continue to dog his Labor Government.

Under pressure to scrap controversial performance bonuses for directors-general, and having to go outside the normal pay scales to retain the best public service executives, Mr Beattie last year accepted a proposal to create a new, all-encompassing remuneration scheme.

But in doing so, Mr Beattie has signalled he is willing to pay directors-general up to $175,000 more than they might previously have earned, despite the state’s public service salary expenses being tipped to blow out 10 per cent to $13.3 billion this year.

Mr Beattie has been moving his directors-general across to the new six-level scheme - where the salary packages range from $190,000 to $470,000 - as their contracts expire.

A spokesman for Acting Premier Anna Bligh told The Weekend Australian yesterday that 12 directors-general had already been moved across - two of them on to the top level of $420,000 to $470,000.

One is on the second level ($370,000 to $420,000), four on the third ($320,000 to $370,000), and five on the fourth ($270,000 to $320,000).

While Ms Bligh’s spokesman would not identify the best paid directors-general, the most well-regarded are Under Treasurer Gerard Bradley, Department of Infrastructure Delivery boss Ken Smith, and Co-ordinator-General Ross Rolfe, who was lured back from a government-owned power corporation and allowed to keep his $375,000-plus package.

While the highest-paid bureaucrat in Australia is still thought to be West Australian health supremo Neale Fong, on a $565,000 package, the new Queensland scheme now tops that of NSW, where the maximum on offer is $402,750, and Victoria, where the highest-paid bureaucrat is on $440,000 a year.

“Queensland is now able to compete for talent on a competitive basis with other jurisdictions,” Ms Bligh’s spokesman said yesterday. “It has a stable group of highly skilled chief executives.”

In announcing he would adopt the new scheme last year, Mr Beattie said it would help “attract the best and brightest to Queensland” and stop the state losing its top public sector executives to other governments or the private sector.

But while there have been a number of structural and personnel changes this year, Mr Beattie has favoured promoting executives from within and is not known to have lured any top bureaucrats from interstate.

Ms Bligh’s spokesman said nine directors-general remained on the old scale, which ranged from $211,444 to $295,938 in package value, and while two received a market allowance, performance bonuses had been phased out.

Opposition Leader Jeff Seeney said that given the Government’s “woeful” performance in water, health, indigenous affairs, education, child protection, transport and main roads, the pay rises were unwarranted.

 
Premier’s right-hand man quits

April 27, 2007
Article from: AAP

QUEENSLAND’S most senior public servant has resigned to work in the private sector, sparking concerns from the Opposition that his new employer may receive special treatment.
Ross Rolfe, 51, who has been director-general of the Department of the Premier and Cabinet since 2005, has resigned to accept a position in infrastructure development with global investment and advisory firm Babcock & Brown in Sydney.

Babcock & Brown has been very active in Queensland in recent years, working on major projects in the areas of electricity, roads and ports.

Mr Rolfe has been in charge of infrastructure development in Queensland as the state’s coordinator-general.

He said today it was time to move on despite busy times within his department, including overseeing the multi-billion dollar south-east Queensland water grid.

“No time’s really a good time but, you know, the opportunity arises now so I’ve decided to take it,” Mr Rolfe said.

Mr Beattie today thanked Mr Rolfe for his dedication to the position, of which he had given 80 to 100 hours a week to over his two-year stint.

He credited Mr Rolfe with taking a lead role in overseeing the government’s health action plan, the south-east Queensland water grid, the Cyclone Larry response and forming future policy.

“He’s done twice the job I originally asked of him,” Mr Beattie said.

Opposition Leader Jeff Seeney said the move was “concerning”.

“It is concerning when a high-profile public servant ends up working for a company that they previously have been involved with in terms of their liaison with the government,” Mr Seeney said.

Mr Seeney said while not much could be done about former public servants accepting such job offers, the government needed to ensure openness and accountability in its relationship with major companies. “It’s one of those things that does occur from time to time and … it raises a whole lot of issues, but it’s our job to ensure, I think, that a company that a senior public servant goes to work for doesn’t receive an unfair advantage from that employment,” he said.

But Mr Rolfe said he did not believe there would be much conflict between his new position and his old.

“Well, obviously I’ll make sure that I behave ethically in the process but I haven’t been involved in any dealings with Babcocks during this period, except to the extent that I was involved in the retail energy sales and they were one of the unsuccessful bidders,” he said.

Mr Rolfe’s position will be advertised nationally.

Beattie farewells director-general


Posted Fri Jun 29, 2007

Queensland Premier Peter Beattie today farewelling his director-general, as well as celebrating his wife’s retirement.

Ross Rolfe is leaving the top job within Mr Beattie’s department after accepting a position with the global investment firm, Babcock and Brown, in Sydney.

Mr Beattie’s wife, Doctor Heather Beattie, is retiring from her job as a nursing educator at the University of Queensland.

Premier and Minister for Trade
The Honourable Peter Beattie
27/04/2007

PREMIER THANKS ROSS ROLFE FOR SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTION TO QLD

Premier Peter Beattie says the Queensland Government owes a debt of gratitude to Ross Rolfe, the Director-General of the Department of the Premier and Cabinet, who announced today he had accepted a position with global investment and advisory firm Babcock & Brown in Sydney.

“I asked Ross to give up his job as CEO of the Stanwell Corporation for just a year in July 2005, to become the Government’s Coordinator-General,” Mr Beattie said.

“I then asked him to take on the additional role of my director-general and to perform miracles for me on a regular basis.

“Ross’ expertise has been invaluable to the Government’s work in keeping the Smart State the economic engine room of Australia and in creating new jobs and opportunities for Queenslanders.

“By the time Ross finishes on 6 July he will have been working 80 to 100 hours a week for Queenslanders for two years, in what he expected to be a 12-month secondment.

“He’s done twice the job I originally asked of him and I’m sure there are many community and business leaders who join me in thanking Ross for his commitment and enormous contribution to our achievements,” he said.

Mr Beattie said some key challenges Mr Rolfe had taken a lead role included:

• Accelerating the provision of infrastructure and co-ordinating its implementation on a whole-of-government basis, focusing on taking major projects from conception to completion;
• Accelerating infrastructure for the coal industry;
• Developing and implementing the South-East Queensland Water Grid;
• Overseeing the implementation of the Health Action Plan;
• Coordinating the response to Cyclone Larry within the Queensland Government;
• Formulating new initiatives to attract skilled workers to fill areas of skill shortage;
• Overseeing the implementation of the $80 billion South East Queensland Infrastructure Plan and facilitating the development of many major projects;
• Spearheading initiatives to streamline approvals processes on critical infrastructure by amending the State Development and Public Works Organisation Act; and
• Working closely with the State Government to set the policy agenda for the next five years, particularly through the new, high-powered Future Strategies Division created to drive innovative responses to climate change, develop clean coal technology, develop an effective emission trading scheme and deal with other major challenges.

Mr Rolfe, 51, said: “I have been approached to take on a national and international role in infrastructure development with Babcock and Brown.

“I want to thank the Premier for the privilege of working with him and his team of Ministers and my wonderful colleagues in the Queensland public sector.

“I also thank him for the opportunity of working with him to shape the future of this great State and to advance Smart State strategies that are changing Queensland for the better.”

Mr Rolfe will resign from the position as of 6 July, and take leave from close of business on 29 June.

The position of Director-General, Department of Premier and Cabinet will be advertised nationally.

ENDS

Friday, 27 April 2007

Media contact: 3224 4500

Bligh Government under attack from ombudsman


Patrick Lion

October 16, 2009

QUEENSLAND’S public service watchdog has joined a growing list of independent figures attacking the Bligh Government’s accountability.

Ombudsman David Bevan has accused the Government of reducing transparency by shifting more government-owned corporations outside the scope of himself and the Crime and Misconduct Commission.

His comments are made in his submission to the review of integrity and accountability, and echo longstanding calls from CMC chairman Robert Needham to open up GOCs such as Queensland Rail to more scrutiny.

And they come after stinging criticisms from Clerk of Parliament Neil Laurie and Information Commissioner Julie Kinross about areas of accountability in need of improvement.

In his submission, Mr Bevan says more GOCs have been reclassified as company entities instead of statutory bodies in recent years, which puts them beyond his oversight.

He also questions the excuses for not allowing scrutiny, saying the normal commercial-in-confidence reasons should be outweighed by the public interest and that it would be unreasonable to expect a GOC to ever be on a level playing field with the private sector.

“In respect of the jurisdiction of the CMC and my office over government-owned corporations, the situation has worsened in recent years,” Mr Bevan writes in his submission.

“Accordingly, I am of the view that all GOCs, whether or not they operate in a competitive environment, should be subject to the jurisdiction of both the CMC and the Ombudsman.”

Treasurer Andrew Fraser welcomed the submission and said the issue had been canvassed as part of the green paper.

“The Government has specifically raised the issues of GOCs being subject to the CMC in the green paper,” Mr Fraser said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Australia’s Right To Know Coalition – a group of media companies including News Limited, publisher of The Courier-Mail – has called for laws to protect journalists from contempt charges when they keep their sources confidential.

In its submission, the group argues it is in the public interest to give journalists protection as whistleblowers may be discouraged from exposing wrongdoing if they believe journalists may be legally compelled to reveal their identity.
 

Anna Bligh attacked over government-owned corporations

Steven Wardill

October 27, 2009

THE Bligh Government has been accused of peddling commercial-in-confidence as an excuse to hide the real performance of its corporations.

Queensland Auditor-General Glen Poole has lambasted the lack of openness of government-owned corporations in his latest report, tabled in State Parliament yesterday.

The report found that recommendations from 2006 to provide the public with more information about the performance of government-owned corporations had been ignored.

Mr Poole’s report said the corporations were using commercial-in-confidence to hide or delay the release of information.

“In my view, Parliament and other stakeholders do not receive an adequate standard of information on GOC performance in a number of areas, which include a lack of disclosure on forward plans and longer-term performance targets,” he wrote.

Mr Poole recommended the corporations develop and publish performance indicators annually so their efforts could be compared year on year.

He recommended that a suitable format for each GOC’s Statement of Corporate Intent, which outline planned spending, be released at the start of each financial year.

These statements are now only released after the spending has occurred following each financial year and contain little or no performance criteria.

Mr Poole also recommended Treasury develop an overarching corporate governance policy for GOCs and release a report annually on the sector’s performance.

In response to the report, Under Treasurer Gerard Bradley said the full release of the statements and the inclusion of performance targets was “not in the broader public interest”.

He said Treasury would consider publishing select information on each GOC’s website before each financial year.

However, Mr Poole said there were questions as to whether hidden information was commercial-in-confidence to start with and the Government was supposed to be proactively releasing material under the new Right to Information laws.

Opposition treasury spokesman Tim Nicholls said Queenslanders had the right to know how the GOCs were performing.

He said it was about time the Bligh Government ditched the “secret state mentality”.