Health Minister Shannon Fentiman won’t back Director-General’s push for penalties for whistleblowers

The Queensland Health Director-General has been warned that he doesn’t make the laws after he sensationally called for whistleblowers to be punished for speaking out against his department.

Health Minister Shannon Fentiman has told the head of Queensland Health that she does not support the punishment of whistleblowers following his sensational call to introduce gag laws that punish those who speak out about issues involving the health department.

The Sunday Mail revealed Health Director-General Shaun Drummond wrote a submission to the inquiry into Public Interest Disclosure laws, requesting that whistleblowers providing journalists “inappropriate” information about Queensland Health should be penalised.

The unorthodox request sent shockwaves through media outlets, with Mr Drummond accused of attempting to muzzle journalists who report on medical mistakes such as the DNA lab testing bungle.

A spokesman for Health Minister Shannon Fentiman on Sunday confirmed she had since spoken with Mr Drummond and “communicated her position” on the matter.

Health Minister Shannon Fentiman. Picture: NCA NewsWire / John Gass

But the Minister refused to reveal whether the debacle had caused her to lose confidence in Mr Drummond as the Director-General.

“As has been made clear, the Minister does not support introducing penalties for the disclosure of information to journalists,” the spokesman said.

“The Minister’s position has been communicated to the Director-General.”

Earlier on Sunday, Agriculture and Fisheries Minister Mark Furner issued a stern warning to Mr Drummond, reminding him that public servants don’t make laws.

“It’s the government that makes decisions on what laws will be introduced in the parliament, not Director-General’s, they are public servants to assist in that process,” Mr Furner said.

“There’s no agenda on the table in terms of the cabinet currently, in regards to this particular proposal, so it should be reminded that it is the government of the day, the Palaszczuk government, (that) makes those laws, not senior public servants.”

Queensland Health Director-General Shaun Drummond. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Tertius Pickard

When asked if it was unusual for a senior public servant to make a request to criminalise whistleblowers, Mr Furner said: “I think the Minister of Health will no doubt be wanting to have a discussion with her Director General over this”.

Ms Fentiman on Saturday distanced herself from Mr Drummond’s submission, saying the department was independent of her own ministerial office.

She also referred to her strong support of the expansion of Queensland’s shield laws last year.

“While journalists’ sources are generally identified in media reports, there are some occasions when important information can only be reported through confidential sources,” she said at the time.

The Public Information Disclosure laws inquiry by retired judge Alan Wilson KC received 60 submissions, many critical of laws aimed at ousting corrupt conduct in the name of public interest.