The head of technical services at the QBCC has quit, continuing a steady exodus of talent

The state’s building industry watchdog has had another senior figure head for the exits, bringing the number of executive departures in the past year to at least 25.

Only days after we were assured that everything’s just fine inside the state’s building industry watchdog, another senior figure has called it quits.

Greg Matthews, director of technical services at the Queensland Building and Construction Commission, resigned last week after nearly eight years in the job.

It’s unclear what prompted Matthews, a registered builder himself, to go and he declined to comment when we rang for chat on Monday.

But his departure continues a steady exodus of talent from the clearly-troubled agency and raises fresh concerns about the level of technical expertise remaining among the troops.

At least 25 very senior players, including a deputy commissioner and three assistant commissioners, have all headed for the exits over the past 12 months or so. Chief executive Brett Bassett is out the door himself on September 3, a full eight months before his contract is up.

Public Works Minister Mick de Brenni

Yet, according to Public Works Minister Mick de Brenni, there’s really nothing to see here folks.

De Brenni fronted up to a Parliamentary estimates hearing last week and claimed staff turnover “is in the range of the broader public sector’’.

Specifically, he noted the QBCC churns through 13.95 per cent of all staff, just slightly above the average of 13.79 per cent. It’s even better for permanent employees, he said .

“The turnover for permanent staff at the QBCC…is half that of the broader public sector,’’ de Brenni told his fellow pollies.

He also stressed that those leaving had mostly been lured away by better pay in the private sector and any implicit “indictment’’ of the agency was “just fanciful’’.

All that spin drew immediate fire from critics, especially the QBCC Action Group, which includes plenty of current and former employees of the regulator.

“What he didn’t acknowledge was that the number of senior executives and assistant commissioners heading for the exit was now up in the 90 per cent range,’’ they noted in a Facebook posting.

The group also pointed to ABS statistics, which reveal turnover in the broader public sector is just 4.9 per cent.

Meanwhile, de Brenni avoided answering a question about speculation that controversial CFMEU official Jade Ingham might replace fellow union identity Dick Williams as chair of the QBCC.

Ingham, who is already on the commission board, copped a $30,000 fine in 2018 for a prolonged campaign against building giant John Holland. Two years earlier he was hit with a $2500 penalty for unlawful industrial action.

Despite the upheaval, a QBCC spokesman insisted Monday that “there is no knowledge or technical gaps as a result of any recent staff departures’’.

Former GWA chief executive Tim Salt

WINDFALL PAYMENT

Nice work if you can get it!

We learned on Monday that former GWA boss Tim Salt pocketed a $1m “termination benefit’’ and $600,000 short-term incentive cash bonus after his shock departure without explanation in late February.

The windfall managed to more than double his total annual compensation package to $3.39m.

The details emerged as the Brisbane-based bathroom and kitchenware supplier released full-year results, with net profits down 20 per cent to $35m.

Originally published as The head of technical services at the QBCC has quit, continuing a steady exodus of talent