Gladstone Ports Corporation in a storm of its own making

The old axiom “it’s always the cover-up that gets you” is one that should be spelt out clearly to everyone who works in a senior position of a taxpayer-owned entity. Gladstone Ports learnt the hard way this week, writes The Editor.

THE old axiom “it’s always the cover-up that gets you” is one that should be spelt out clearly to everyone who works in a senior position of a taxpayer-owned entity. Clearly, it wasn’t in the case of Gladstone Ports Corporation because the bosses of that state-run body have had to learn this truism the hard way in recent days.

The port’s decision to suspend a company whose contractor asked a question that tripped up Federal Labor leader Bill Shorten was an appalling act.

It was a poor look for a side of politics that professes to be on the side of workers.

The revelations will likely hurt Mr Shorten in the race to the May 18 election, even though the fault for this scandal lies elsewhere.

Bill Shorten and the Gladstone Ports worker during the now infamous incident. Picture: Kym Smith

However, that pain has only been further inflamed by the response by the port when The Courier-Mail began asking questions about the apparent suspension of the worker in question.

As The Courier-Mail revealed, the father of three had his access pass to the port switched off the day after he innocently quizzed Mr Shorten about tax breaks for higher income earners.

The contents of his desk were later delivered to his home.

In a blatant attempt to cover up for its own actions, the port’s statement to our reporter said “the port worker, a subcontractor, is still employed by the contractor and carrying out work for their employer”.

This was too cute by half, considering that the man works as an electrical engineering contractor for Welcon Technologies and not the port itself.

It was never going to wash.

An annoyed Transport Minister Mark Bailey laid bare the port’s obfuscating and shifty spin tactics yesterday in State Parliament when he admitted that Welcon had been forced to direct the worker to another site after the port took issue with his questioning of Mr Shorten.

“The port temporarily suspended a contract with the company, while the matter was investigated,” Mr Bailey said.

“The contract with Welcon was reinstated and port work is available for the consultant, however, this should never have happened.’’

Transport Minister Mark Bailey’s intervention in the saga was welcome.

The Minister’s statement clearly exposes the misleading claims made by the port.

Mr Bailey’s intervention is welcome and he was right when he went on to say that people should be allowed to quiz candidates at elections without fear of retribution from their employer.

However, the missing piece in Mr Bailey’s admonishment of the port over its actions was condemnation for its attempts to cover up this issue when it was initially exposed by The Courier-Mail.

It is authoritarian countries that usually churn out propaganda that bears no or little resemblance to the truth.

But in this case it was the business unit of a government that was elected by Queenslanders.

No other conclusion can be drawn from this sorry episode other than it dawned on someone senior at the port that the decision to give the contractor his marching orders was about to play poorly for the Labor Party so they decided to dodge and weave.

It is a salient lesson that if public bodies start resorting to lies, then people’s faith in our system of representative democracy will continue eroding at a rapid pace.

DAY TO REMEMBER A LEGEND

IT WAS hard not to start singing “Whatever will be, will be” yesterday when the sad news of the passing of Doris Day broke.

The fact that song has echoed through generations is testament to her great talent as both a singer and an actor.

Day was arguably the first
all-American girl with her blonde hair and cherub good looks after starring in a string of romantic comedy hits with Rock Hudson.

However, she cheekily mocked her own “Miss Chastity Belt” image in later life, saying it was “more make-believe than any film part I ever played”. Married four times, she first dreamt of becoming a dancer before a car accident turned her towards singing and acting.

Flowers adorn the star of Doris Day on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles. Picture: AP

Day, who was 97 years old when she passed, did not rest on her laurels as a Hollywood icon after retiring from film work.

She dedicated herself to animal welfare through her own foundation while continuing to produce music.

True to her private nature in later years, the Doris Day Animal Foundation yesterday announced: “Doris’ wishes were that she have no funeral or memorial service and no grave marker.”

Day’s death might be a case of que sera, sera, but her legend will forever live on.