Latest / Early Edition with Ryan Bridge / Max Whitehead: Employment expert on Andrew Coster's future in the public service

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Max Whitehead: Employment expert on Andrew Coster's future in the public service · Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Costs days in the public service look to be numbered.
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  Speaker 1: Sir Brian Roch is investigating him over the IPCA report. Meanwhile,
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  Speaker 1: three current police employees are also under investigation over their
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  Speaker 1: part in the alleged cover up. Max Whitehead, employment expert
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  Speaker 1: with us this morning, Max, Good morning, Good.
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  Speaker 2: Morning, Ryan. Yes, it's a messy, messy piece of work here,
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  Speaker 2: isn't it certainly is.
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  Speaker 1: What's the quickest way for this to end? Do you think?
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  Speaker 1: In the cost of situation.
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  Speaker 2: In the cost of situation, the employer has to undertake
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  Speaker 2: an independent investigation. Now they can present to mister cost
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  Speaker 2: of the facts, given him an opportunity to explain, and
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  Speaker 2: then once they've received that, then they are free to
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  Speaker 2: act under the there's legislation already developed there that under
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  Speaker 2: Schedule seven on the Public Service Act that they can
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  Speaker 2: proceed and take an action against the like in his
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  Speaker 2: current role a chief executive and terminator's employment for just cause.
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  Speaker 1: What's a just cause?
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  Speaker 2: Well, exactly bringing the organization to disrepute is very very
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  Speaker 2: important for a high profile individual like mister Costa, if
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  Speaker 2: he has brought the organization into disrepute, it's a sackable offense.
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  Speaker 2: But they have to give him an opportunity to explain
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  Speaker 2: his side of the story.
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  Speaker 1: So once they've done that and then they sack him,
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  Speaker 1: can he take a personal grievance?
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  Speaker 2: Absolutely, he is an employee and his employer is the
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  Speaker 2: Public Service commissioner. How much do you know?
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  Speaker 1: How much do you think the other option courses that
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  Speaker 1: he walks and there is some kind of golden parachute?
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  Speaker 1: What is that? How does that normally work?
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  Speaker 2: Well? If there is a remote chance that he could
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  Speaker 2: probably litigate and cause all sorts of embarrassment difficulties for
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  Speaker 2: the public service, they are quite often, it happens often.
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  Speaker 2: I've got to say, there is negotiations and that's where
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  Speaker 2: a parachute can be provided, which to me is pretty abhorrent.
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  Speaker 2: I mean, already they've got to undertake another independence investigation
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  Speaker 2: just because of him, and because it's a different department too.
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  Speaker 2: That does make a lot of sense. But however, there's
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  Speaker 2: a cost to that, and there's going to be a
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  Speaker 2: cost to the public. Again, we end up paying for
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  Speaker 2: lots of things. I mean, there's millions and millions of
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  Speaker 2: dollars the public are going to have to part with,
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  Speaker 2: just in terms of investigations. Plural many investigations, and that's
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  Speaker 2: pretty tough on us taxpayers.
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  Speaker 1: Appreciate your time. Max Whitehead, employment expert with us this morning.
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  Speaker 1: By the way, his contract is a two and a
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  Speaker 1: half million dollar five year contract, and as Max has said,
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  Speaker 1: if we want to get him out of it early,
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  Speaker 1: then we might have to pay something for that privilege.
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  Speaker 2: For more from Early Edition with Ryan Bridge. Listen live
• 2:55
  Speaker 2: to News Talks it be from five am weekdays, or
• 2:58
  Speaker 2: follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.