NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb says she has not yet committed to going through with the appointment of former Seven producer Steve Jackson as the force’s most senior media adviser amid ongoing controversy over the decision to hire him.
The Herald on Saturday reported photos had surfaced of Jackson sitting on a couch next to a naked former model and socialite, fuelling scrutiny of the veteran journalist who played a key role in securing Seven’s paid interview with Bruce Lehrmann.
Speaking to 2GB’s Ray Hadley on Monday morning, the commissioner confirmed Jackson had been offered the role but more security vetting was yet to take place. Jackson has been hired on an interim basis.
“It’s a position that does require access to sensitive information. What is happening now is that the offer is made, there [is] security vetting that goes on in the meantime,” Webb said in her first public comments about the appointment.
Asked if the revelations in the Herald could lead to a reversal of the decision to give him the job on his six-month contract, Webb said: “I won’t preempt that, but that could happen.
“Information has been provided to us and it is being viewed as part of that employment process.”
Karen Webb at the 2GB studios on Monday morning.Credit: Nick Moir
Webb dismissed her media adviser Liz Deegan earlier this month before hiring Jackson.
The comments are the latest in a string of controversies surrounding Jackson’s appointment, which Webb revealed was suggested by Police Minister Yasmin Catley’s chief of staff Ross Neilson, who is a personal acquaintance of Jackson.
Following months of sustained criticism over her media work in the top role – particularly her thanking of alleged murderer Beau Lamarre-Condon for revealing where he was believed to have dumped the bodies of couple Jesse Baird and Luke Davies, and her reference of a Taylor Swift lyric when responding to criticism – Webb conceded she needs to improve.
“Certainly, I can do better, and I will,” she said. “I can improve, and I think if you look at some of my predecessors … most cops join the police to be in the police, not to be in the media.”
Her interview on Ray Hadley’s program came after she cancelled a planned appearance on 2GB’s breakfast show with Ben Fordham.
Fordham said Webb – whose appearance on Monday morning was advertised late last week – had cancelled the interview at the last minute over what he said she described as his “cheeky” question to Premier Chris Minns last week about whether she should resign.
“Karen Webb told me that question was cheeky,” Fordham said.
“And for that, she’s not coming on this show today. It’s a dummy spit. And it’s another example of the commissioner taking things personally instead of looking for the lesson.”
Webb has also faced criticism over her handling of the Tasering of grandmother Clare Nowland.
Following the Tasering incident in June last year, Webb approached Nine Radio’s managing director, Tom Malone, asking him to “ease up a bit”, Fordham said.
“I was asking questions about the lack of transparency over the Taser incident; the commissioner complained to my boss,” Fordham said.
“Tom Malone was asked to attend a meeting in the commissioner’s office, and it was clear to me what was going on: Karen Webb wanted me to ease up a bit.
“Karen Webb thought I should be listening to her spin instead of fighting on behalf of a great-grandmother Tasered in an aged-care facility.”
The saga over Jackson’s appointment took an unexpected turn on Saturday with the firing of Sky News producer Taylor Auerbach, who was known to be backgrounding journalists against his former Seven colleague.
The bitter falling out with Jackson can be traced back to Spotlight’s June 2023 interview with Lehrmann. It is widely known that Auerbach was the unnamed Spotlight producer who put almost $3000 on a Seven corporate card for the services of two Thai masseuses.
At the time, Seven’s Spotlight was trying to secure an exclusive interview with Lehrmann, whose criminal trial for the alleged rape of Brittany Higgins had collapsed due to juror misconduct.