CM Cleared Of Misleading The States

Wednesday, 21 June 2023 11:47

The Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister have been cleared of deliberately misleading States members over Suzanne Wylie's departure.

The Commissioner for Standards has concluded Deputies Kristina Moore and Kirsten Morel did not breach the Code of Conduct for Elected Members.

Melissa McCullough has found the Deputy Moore's inaccurate statements following States CEO's resignation - which the Chief Minister publicly apologised for - was a 'genuine mistake'.

The matter was referred to the Commissioner by Privileges and Procedures Chair Constable Karen Shenton Stone.

It asked her to consider whether there had been

* A deliberate obfuscation or avoidance by the Chief Minister and/or Deputy Chief Minister and

* Whether there was an intention by the Chief Minister and/or the Deputy Chief Minister to mislead or misinform the Assembly.

The issue was over what they knew and when about Ms Wylie's resignation on 14 March and how Deputy Morel answered a question in the States Assembly on 21 March about other potential future resignations, just a day before the States CEO's departure was announced.

Dr McCullogh says:

"I do not believe, on balance, that the Chief Minister set out to intentionally or deliberately mislead or misinform the Assembly when she misstated the dates in question. Nor do I believe she intended to cause such confusion by having done so."

Of Deputy Morel's conduct, she says:

"I am satisfied on my analysis of the facts and evidence that, on the balance of probabilities, Deputy Morel believed at the time of answering the follow up question during QWON, and in line with Standing Orders requiring supplementary questions to relate to the subject matter of the question, he was answering the supplementary question in relation to further health resignations rather than further resignations in general."