- From: The Courier-Mail
- August 04, 2011
Ms Bligh told Parliament that 18-year-old Oliver was an extra in an advertisement for the ClimateSmart Home service without her or her husband's knowledge.
Ms Bligh's husband Greg Withers heads the Government's Office of Climate Change.
Ms Bligh said she was on a trade tour and Mr Withers in Sydney when Oliver filmed the advertisment.
She told Parliament Mr Withers had ensured Oliver wasn't paid and the advertisment edited to take him out. A teary Ms Bligh said the cost was $1880.
"Our concern was simple - while Oliver's involvement was completely innocent and frankly unbelievably coincidental, it could nevertheless give rise in a reasonable person to the view that the procurement processes of Government were tainted by nepotism,'' she said.
"On Tuesday evening of this week I was advsed that in fact the production has incurred further costs for editing.''
My View.
Queensland has had a Labor government for 20 years except for a short 2 year interlude when the Borbidge Coalition ruled. It is not politically healthy for a parliamentary democracy for one party to be in Government for such a lengthy of time.
Such lengths of time in power tend to breed complacency, arrogance, corruption and nepotism. It happened to the Coalition Government when they were in power for 32 years and the signs are there that the Bligh Government is showing such tendencies.
Bligh's husband Mr Greg Withers may well have on merit got the plum job of the Queensland Head of the Government Office of Climate Change. In my opinion partners and immediate family member of Government Ministers should be excluded from applying for positions of such influence. I believe if a code of conduct clause does exist prohibiting such behaviour, it should be amended to include the points that I am alluding too.
Bligh shedding tears after the issue of her sons role in a State Government commercial was highlighted in Parliament does not indicate leadership sinew. Bligh's action is an insult to the intelligence of Queenslanders. By saying that she or her husband did not know what their 18 year old son, that lives in the same household was up too, is a little to cute for us cynics to believe. Are they not on speaking term, one may ask?
The Bligh Government does not need such behaviour as it is already in the sights of the Queensland voters.
Ms Bligh's husband Greg Withers heads the Government's Office of Climate Change.
Ms Bligh said she was on a trade tour and Mr Withers in Sydney when Oliver filmed the advertisment.
She told Parliament Mr Withers had ensured Oliver wasn't paid and the advertisment edited to take him out. A teary Ms Bligh said the cost was $1880.
"Our concern was simple - while Oliver's involvement was completely innocent and frankly unbelievably coincidental, it could nevertheless give rise in a reasonable person to the view that the procurement processes of Government were tainted by nepotism,'' she said.
"On Tuesday evening of this week I was advsed that in fact the production has incurred further costs for editing.''
My View.
Queensland has had a Labor government for 20 years except for a short 2 year interlude when the Borbidge Coalition ruled. It is not politically healthy for a parliamentary democracy for one party to be in Government for such a lengthy of time.
Such lengths of time in power tend to breed complacency, arrogance, corruption and nepotism. It happened to the Coalition Government when they were in power for 32 years and the signs are there that the Bligh Government is showing such tendencies.
Bligh's husband Mr Greg Withers may well have on merit got the plum job of the Queensland Head of the Government Office of Climate Change. In my opinion partners and immediate family member of Government Ministers should be excluded from applying for positions of such influence. I believe if a code of conduct clause does exist prohibiting such behaviour, it should be amended to include the points that I am alluding too.
Bligh shedding tears after the issue of her sons role in a State Government commercial was highlighted in Parliament does not indicate leadership sinew. Bligh's action is an insult to the intelligence of Queenslanders. By saying that she or her husband did not know what their 18 year old son, that lives in the same household was up too, is a little to cute for us cynics to believe. Are they not on speaking term, one may ask?
The Bligh Government does not need such behaviour as it is already in the sights of the Queensland voters.
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