Shadow Treasurer Rob Lucas said Mr Weatherill’s new CEO Kym Winter-Dewhirst had been given an extra $35,000 per year for a private motor vehicle lease as well as an extra two weeks’ paid leave for professional development.
“These secret benefits were not revealed in Mr Winter-Dewhirst’s contract and are in addition to the $125,000 per year pay rise Mr Weatherill gave him to take his salary package to $550,000,” said Mr Lucas.
“The Minister for the Public Sector, Dr Close, last week in Estimates Committee refused to answer questions on this issue and referred them all to Mr Weatherill.
“Mr Weatherill must now explain why he didn’t reveal the full extent of the salary and benefits he had given to Mr Winter-Dewhirst.
“The Commissioner for Public Sector Employment Erma Ranieri in evidence to the Budget and Finance Committee confirmed the extent of those extra benefits being paid to Mr Winter-Dewhirst. Details of the payment only became public under FOI when a copy of a letter from Ms Ranieri to Mr Winter-Dewhirst was revealed.
“These secret benefits were not included in the contract even though Clause 4.1 of the contract states that ‘the salary, allowances, monetary benefits and to the non-monetary benefits specified in Schedule 2.’ Schedule 2 makes no reference to these extra ‘monetary benefits’ even though they clearly are ‘monetary benefits’ and should have been detailed by Mr Weatherill in Schedule 2 of the contract.
“It is now clear the total value of Mr Winter-Dewhirst’s package will be more than $600,000.
“At a time when Mr Weatherill is closing the Repat Hospital and cutting Emergency Department services, he needs to explain why he has given Mr Winter-Dewhirst a salary package increase of almost $180,000 per year.”