The completed and closed investigation into the conduct of Minister Lawrie Hooper following complaint from the Health Services Consultative Committee (HSCC) has now been published.
The investigator who conducted the report, Alan Gough, says its ‘quite remarkable’ that what happened at the meetings was what they all predicted would happen.
Having considered all the witness statements and the Minister’s response, Gough says “it is probable that the meeting was badly handled by all in that it was allowed to become fractious”.
Alan Gough states in his report that the bullying and intimidatory case against Hooper regarding a meeting on June 26 not to have been made out, he says that “Mr Hooper flies closer to the sun by some margin than Ms August-Hanson”.
The report, that has been heavily redacted, states that Minister Hooper could have “undoubtedly” handled the meeting in June better.
The report and HSCC allegations
On March 13, the Chief Minister, Alfred Cannan notified the public that he would release the results of the ‘independent investigation’ into Lawrie Hooper’s conduct towards the Health Services Consultative Committee.
In 2023 the regulatory body accused Hooper of subjecting the panel to an ‘hour-long rant’ over its annual report.
The fall out led to resignations by HSCC members and two complaints were made to Mr Cannan about Mr Hooper and departmental member, and MLC, Tanya August-Hanson.
Following the investigation Mr Hooper was found not to have breached the ministerial code.
4 Comments