Sinéad O’Brien hired as new SA Health governance chief

A senior public servant who resigned amid a scandal over failures in hiring a fraudster to the premier’s department is the new top bureaucrat overseeing SA Health control systems.

Veronica Theriault leaves the Supreme Court in 2019. Picture: Kelly Barnes

A senior public servant who resigned amid a scandal over failures in hiring a fraudster to the premier’s department is the new top bureaucrat overseeing SA Health’s control systems.

Sinéad O’Brien, 52, is a new deputy chief executive charged with heading agency strategy and governance almost a decade after managing Labor’s controversial Transforming Health’s reforms.

But Ms O’Brien, hired alongside deputy chief executive of corporate services Judith Formston, abruptly resigned from the Department of Premier and Cabinet in late 2017 over an elaborate Hollywood-style scam.

Sinead O'Brien is a new deputy chief executive of SA Health. Picture: LinkedIn

Sacked chief information officer Veronica Theriault

She was part of a three-person interview panel that hired Veronica Hilda Theriault, 50, as its chief information officer despite her fake resumé.

Theriault, 50, of Perth, was jailed in 2019 after admitting multiple deception and dishonesty charges in a “Catch Me if You Can” scandal The Advertiser revealed.

Former DPC chief executive, Don Russell, revealed Ms O’Brien’s resignation came after a selection process review that sparked an overhaul of department checks.

Former independent Commissioner Against Corruption, Bruce Lander, KC, also launched a wider investigation into the process that led to her hiring.

His inquiry into maladministration – defined as irregular public spending or substantial management failures – is still secret.

Since her resignation as DPC’s information technology transformation boss, Ms O’Brien launched a consultancy business before joining Northern Adelaide Local Health Network in 2019 as its strategy and innovation executive director.

Ms O’Brien, of Unley, did not comment. Her precise pay is not publicly available but the role was advertised as an executive “band 2” salary, ranging from $240,740 to $401,234.

In response to inquiries, new SA Health chief executive, Dr Robyn Lawrence, defended the “competitive process”. She was “confident we have hired the best person for the job”.

“Sinéad uncovered another person’s calculated, sophisticated deception of government in 2017,” she said.

“The incident was fully investigated by ICAC and that person was later jailed for their actions. I was aware of all this before Sinéad applied for the role.”

Dr Robyn Lawrence defended the application process. Picture: supplied

Asked to clarify the statement, which seemed inconsistent with The Advertiser’s information that another executive was involved in uncovering the scam, an SA Health spokeswoman said: “Our statement stands.”

It is not suggested that Ms O’Brien engaged in any wrongdoing.

Dr Lawrence praised her colleague as “an outstanding leader who has delivered innovative and collaborative health projects for NALHN for many years”.

The new deputy roles replace former executive Don Frater’s job after he suddenly quit last December.

Health Minister Chris Picton denied plans for any new Transforming Health-style reforms despite Ms O’Brien being one of its chief architects before a public outcry forced its scrapping.

He said: “Absolutely not. The Malinauskas Government has a very clear strategy of boosting hospital beds, doctors and nurses across the system.”

Public service appointments, he said, were “entirely decisions” of Dr Lawrence and I “fully back her judgment”.

He said Ms O’Brien was hired under the previous Liberal Government.

“Since then (she) has been doing important work such as improving health outcomes for children in the northern suburbs,” he said.

Mr Russell declined to comment on Wednesday while an ICAC spokeswoman refused to release the report.