Action over Health Payroll bungle

IBM will not be allowed to enter any new contracts with the State Government until it improves its governance and contracting practices.

Premier Campbell Newman said the company must prove it has dealt with past misconduct and will prevent future misconduct, after a scathing report into the Health Payroll bungle.

“It appears that IBM took the state of Queensland for a ride,” Mr Newman said.

“The Commission of Inquiry found ‘The replacement of the Queensland Health payroll system must take place in the front rank of failures in public administration in this country. It may be the worst’.

“The Labor Government was the other party to this major bungle.

“Labor may be comfortable with the Health Payroll failure, but we are determined that something similar doesn’t happen in Queensland again.”

Mr Newman said that as well as not allowing contracts with IBM he expected the company to deal with employees adversely named in the report.

The Premier said the following actions would also take place:

·         The CEO of the Public Service Commission would consider any action that may be taken against public sector employees who are adversely named

·         Crown Law would provide advice on what actions could and should be taken in relation to former public servants

·         The CEO of the Public Service Commission would review the Public Service Code of Conduct and provide recommendations for its amendment

·         The Integrity Commissioner would review the absence of a probity adviser or a conflicts register on the payroll project

·         Unions active in the state public sector would be asked for information about the oversight of representatives who failed to act to protect rank and file members

·         The Government would detail its response to the report’s recommendations at the next session of parliament

“I again call on the Labor leader to apologise on behalf of the former Government for the actions that directly affected 80,000 Queenslanders and cost taxpayers $1.2 billion,” he said.

“That is the least Annastacia Palaszczuk can do for the lack of interest shown by her and the unions and for months of covering up the true extent of the disaster.”

[ENDS] 7 August 2013

Media Contact: Premier’s Office 3224 4500