Premier Mike Rann has been forced to reveal that his own department has wasted $246,000 in twice remodelling the office of the CEO of the Department of the Premier and Cabinet.
“Mr Rann was first asked in Parliament in October 2009 about this waste of money and had refused to answer the question for more than 12 months,” Shadow Minister for Finance Rob Lucas said today.
“This scandalous waste of money was finally revealed in December 2010 after current DPC CEO Chris Eccles gave evidence to the Legislative Council Budget and Finance Committee.
“This evidence, together with information from public service whistleblowers appalled at the waste and hypocrisy, has now revealed the following sequence of events.
“In 2007 the former CEO Warren McCann spent $187,000 on remodelling his office, which no-one believed required that amount of money to be spent. This remodelling included providing an open space office for Mr McCann.
“However, just two years later when Mr Eccles became the new CEO, he didn’t like the remodelling and open space office so he spent another $59,000 to remodel again and remove the open space office.
“So after three years, two remodelling attempts, $246,000 wasted and a failed experiment with an open space office, we are essentially back to where we were three years ago!
“This sad and sorry saga has evidently continued as when Mr McCann was made Commissioner of Public Employment he again spent more money remodelling his office to provide another open space office and a dishwasher for the 16 staff in the office!
“Mr Rann has refused to answer that question since May 2009!
“It is no wonder Mr Rann was desperate to prevent this embarrassing information ever becoming public and refused to answer the question for more than a year.
“At a time over the last three years when critical health, education and family services programmes have been cut or abolished, SA families will be furious at this scandalous and hypocritical waste of money by Mr Rann.
The Liberal Party will continue to use the Budget and Finance Committee and FOI legislation to expose further details of this waste of taxpayers’ money.”