Backroom Baz: Rumour mill in overdrive about changes at Ambulance Victoria headquaters

There were many efforts this week to hose down speculation about changes at Ambulance Victoria headquarters, with disgruntled employees claiming the organisation is in “chaos”.

There were many efforts this week to hose down speculation that administrators were suiting up to march into the headquarters of Ambulance Victoria.

The rumour mill was in overdrive throughout the week that board chair Shelly Park would make an unexpected exit, but that was promptly shut down both in formal responses to this paper and in an unusually emphatic fashion by Health Minister Mary Anne Thomas before a parliamentary inquiry.

Baz will take the good minister’s word for it, but that hasn’t stopped leaks out of Ambulance Victoria by disgruntled employees who say the organisation is in “chaos”. Certainly a matter of watch this space.

Administrators were last called into the service in 2014, after Daniel Andrews came to power and sought the resignation of the board saying he’d lost faith in them over a long running pay dispute with paramedics. Sound familiar?

Paramedics are right now in the middle of a protracted pay dispute, and have threatened ramping up industrial action in coming weeks.

Acknowledgement stops staff in their tracks

An acknowledgment of country has become a staple of modern day virtue signalling within both the public and private sectors. There’s hardly a press conference, sporting match, public event or corporate meeting that can get underway without one. Inside government, the impact is multiplied, with multiple acknowledgments known to be aired throughout meetings. A recent acknowledgment stopped staff within the Department of Transport and Planning in their tracks after the speaker referred to Australia as a “corrupt country” which left some employees choking on their morning coffees. Sometimes less is more.

Greens’ MP has new battle on his hands

Oh, the woes of being an MP. It seems that the fight against the government is not the only challenge for Greens’ Tim Read.

The member for Brunswick remains in a temporary office after being booted from his parliamentary quarters in February, driven out by a sneaky invasion of mould.

The MP willingly packed off to another room after another MP said his office smelt like “cat piss”.

Greens MP Tim Read has been booted out of his office . Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Crosling

An investigation soon after found mould in the floor and walls with maintenance crews saying it would take a few weeks to fix.

However, months later Read is still in his temporary office with no expected return date.

It’s not easy being green. And it’s not the only complaint against the $40m parliament office building, which only opened in 2018. Other regular reports include water leaks, broken security locks and cold drafts.

Unlikely alliance joins forces on Spring St

An unlikely alliance has joined forces on Spring St. A holy one, at that. Catholics, Anglicans, Muslims, Hindus, and Jews joined forces in a hallowed show of unity to urge MPs not to drop the Lord’s Prayer from parliament. For more than 100 years the prayer has kicked off sitting days on Spring St, but in recent years it has come under threat from some who want it gone. A letter signed by leaders of the five religions has urged MPs to keep it in place.

An unlikley alliance is urging MPs not to drop the Lord’s Prayer from parliament.

“While diverse in many ways, the majority of Victorians – Christian and non-Christian alike – believe in a God or a Higher Power other than themselves,” the letter noted. “It remains incumbent on our members of parliament to respect these beliefs and the rich, long-held traditions on which our parliamentary system has been built.” Baz reckons the leaders might need some divine intervention: talk of booting the prayer has escalated in recent months, with more than a dozens MPs now routinely abstaining from its recital at the start of sitting days. Still, surely health, schools, cost of living and jobs are the most pressing issues for our leaders to be getting on with?

Appointment goes down like a ‘lead ballon’

Baz may have jumped the shark in a recent bit trumpeting the success of former Spring St scribe turned public servant James Talia and his ability to bridge the political divide, having worked for both Liberal and Labor governments.

Not everyone is happy about James Talia’s appointment.

Well, it seems not everyone agrees. Spies inside the Department of Justice and Community Safety, where he was recently hired as the Executive Director of Strategic Communications, say the appointment has gone down internally like a “lead balloon”. That’s because loyal, and long serving, senior staffers were overlooked for the gig. There are now all manner of allegations being flung around about the appointment, but because Baz doesn’t fancy his day in court, they will remain matters for the department employees. For now.

Own goal

Baz doesn’t often get it wrong, but when he does he owns it. Last week it was reported in this page that ALP powerbroker Stephen Conroy was the president of Football Australia. He is not. He is actually the independent chair of the Australian Professional Leagues.

Overheard

“Deputy Chair, I will not tolerate those sorts of verbal noises from you!” Public Accounts and Estimates Committee chair Sarah Connolly takes exception with some of the sound effects being made by her deputy, Nick McGowan, during hearings this week.

Guess who?

Which former MP is considering a run at local council?