Ousted head of the North-South Corridor project was given two options, parliamentary committee told

The ousted head of the $9.9bn North-South Corridor project was told she could be sacked or resign, a parliamentary committee has been told.

THE head of the delayed $9.9bn North-South Corridor project wanted to be sacked, rather than resign, a parliamentary committee has been told.

Providing the first details of Susana Fueyo Suarez’s sudden departure from the Infrastructure and Transport Department in April, chief executive Jon Whelan said he made the decision to sack her.

Mr Whelan told the Budget and Finance Committee on Monday he was asked to review the South Rd tunnels project by new Infrastructure and Transport Minister Tom Koutsantonis.

“During that review I found some issues that needed to be addressed moving forward and one of those was to appoint a new executive director (to the project),” he said.

“The changes that needed to be made – and the culture that needed to be changed – wasn’t going to suit using Ms Fueyo (Suarez) at that time.”.

Mr Whelan said he met with Ms Fueyo Suarez, an engineer, on a Friday afternoon in April to give her the option to either resign or her contract would be terminated.

“I offered her the weekend to think about it and then she emailed me on the Sunday night with the preference to be terminated,” he said. “We implemented that immediately.”

Susana Fueyo Suarez, former executive director of the North-South Corridor project, pictured in February 2022. Picture: Emma Brasier

T2D Torrens to Darlington North South corridor near Everard Park. Picture: Supplied

Mr Whelan said he arranged for the department’s deputy chief executive, Jude Formston, to escort Ms Fueyo Suarez to her office where she collected her personal belongings.

Mr Whelan said another deputy chief executive, Wayne Buckerfield, had been appointed as her replacement.

The pair is overseeing a departmental review into the North-South Corridor project, which involves the acquisition of hundreds of properties to enable tunnels to be built under South Rd between Torrensville and Darlington.

Mr Whelan said the review had identified numerous issues which would cause delays and cost increases, including significant design changes.

These included “elevated” structures at Anzac Highway and near the Brickworks Market at Torrensville.

Asked how much the project would eventually cost, Mr Whelan said this was being calculated as part of the review.

“We need to finish our investigation, review and present options to the government that will need, as a cabinet, to make the decision on what is in and out of the project,” he said.

Mr Whelan said his department wanted to be able to tell the community what was happening with the project “as quickly as possible”.

“We recognise that our consultation needs to be improved,” he said.

Mr Whelan said he “hoped” the review would be finished next month, when demolition would start of properties acquired for the project. Its completion date is now 2031.

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