WATER CORPORATION —
CHAIRMAN — RESIGNATION
34. Hon TJORN SIBMA to the minister representing the
Minister for Water:
I
refer to the answers the minister provided yesterday to my questions concerning
the resignation of the now ex-chairman of the Water Corporation, Mr Mike
Hollett.
(1) On how many
occasions did the minister and/or his staff have any interactions with Mr Hollett
in 2019; what was the nature of those interactions; and who were the parties to
those interactions?
(2) What subject matter was discussed during the
multiple phone conversations between the minister's chief of
staff and the deputy chair of the Water Corporation in the 15 days leading up
to and including Mr Hollett's resignation on 15 January 2020?
(3) Did the
minister's chief of staff converse or interact with Mr Hollett, or
attempt to converse or interact with Mr Hollett, during the same period referred
to in (2)?
(4) How, when and from whom did the
minister's chief of staff learn of Mr Hollett's resignation?
Hon
ALANNAH MacTIERNAN replied:
I thank the member for the
question. The following information has been provided by the Minister for
Water.
(1) Throughout
2019, myself and my staff met with Mr Hollett on at least 15 occasions,
although there may have been other interactions at events. These meetings
included regular meetings with the CEO and staff of the Water Corporation,
Water Corporation events, meetings with the Water Corporation board and
interviews of potential board candidates.
(2) My staff
discussed several matters including the unresolved issues between the Water
Corporation board and the former chairman.
(3) No.
(4) My chief of
staff was advised on 15 January of Mr Hollett's resignation, via email,
by Mr Hollett himself.