A senior Western Australian health bureaucrat received a substantial payment of $80,000 for conducting a rapid audit of Perth Children's Hospital, an arrangement that has ignited fresh demands for the state government to abandon its culture of secrecy.
Lucrative Contract for Rapid Review
The controversy centres on Paul Forde, the former acting director general of the Health Department. In 2022, Mr. Forde was engaged as an independent contractor to lead a swift, three-week review into issues plaguing the construction and operation of the troubled Perth Children's Hospital.
For this work, spanning from late November to mid-December, he was paid a total of $80,000 plus GST. This information was only revealed through a detailed question on notice posed by the opposition in State Parliament, forcing the disclosure.
The audit itself was commissioned by the then-Health Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson, following a highly critical report from the Auditor General. Mr. Forde's review ultimately made 17 recommendations, all of which the government states have been accepted.
Calls for Transparency and Accountability
The revelation of the hefty fee has drawn sharp criticism from transparency advocates and the political opposition. They argue the episode is symptomatic of a government that operates behind closed doors, revealing information only when absolutely compelled.
Shadow health minister Libby Mettam labelled the payment "extraordinary" and questioned the necessity of hiring a recently retired senior official as a contractor for such a short-term project. "This is a government that thrives on secrecy," Ms. Mettam stated, arguing that the contract and its cost should have been proactively disclosed to the public.
Good Governance Institute CEO Alan Greaves echoed these concerns, emphasising that while contracting expertise is sometimes valid, the lack of transparency is the core issue. He pointed out that such secretive deals undermine public trust, especially when they involve former high-ranking officials moving into lucrative consulting roles for their old departments.
Government Defends Arrangement Amid Scrutiny
In response to the outcry, a government spokesperson defended the decision to hire Mr. Forde. They cited his extensive experience and unique institutional knowledge of the long-running hospital project as critical factors for needing his specific expertise to conduct the audit quickly and effectively.
The spokesperson stated the procurement process was followed correctly and the cost represented value for money given the urgent need for the review. However, they did not address the core criticism regarding the initial secrecy surrounding the contract's value.
This incident has amplified existing concerns about transparency within the WA public sector. Critics are now urging the Cook government to implement stronger, proactive disclosure policies to prevent similar controversies and rebuild public confidence in how taxpayer money is spent on external contracts.
