PM to plug hole left by Wooldridge

The Prime Minister, John Howard, promised yesterday to reinstate $5 million taken from asthma and rural health projects by the former health minister Michael Wooldridge to help fund a new headquarters for a doctors' group which now employs him.

Mr Howard also pledged an inquiry by "relevant departments" - understood to be the health and finance departments - into the redirection of the money.

He told Parliament that he did "not rule out withdrawing the Commonwealth's offer to the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners".

The moves came as the political row worsened around the grant to the college, made just a week before the calling of the last federal election. Dr Wooldridge left politics at the election and subsequently took a job as a consultant to the college.

It appears that the offer was approved by the health and finance departments, but did not go to cabinet. Mr Howard said he had "no recollection of having been informed".

Dr Wooldridge's successor as Health Minister, Kay Patterson, first claimed that the programs from which the money was taken had underspent and that the $5 million would have been returned to consolidated revenue.

But yesterday, after the Opposition pointed to similar long-term health programs in which unspent money had been rolled over into the next year, Senator Patterson said she had relied on departmental advice provided on Sunday "when it is not easy to get all the information".

In a further complication, the contract for the new building requires that the college secure co-tenants - including specifically the Australian Divisions of General Practice (ADGP), representing about 18,000 GPs.

But this group said its board had met at the weekend and decided against such a move, at least until after a new agreement between GP organisations was reached after June.

Mr Howard denied that the controversy increased the need for a compulsory "cooling off" period between ministers and senior ministerial staff leaving office and their accepting positions in related areas in the private sector.

All other parties in the Parliament are pushing various proposals - similar to the "revolving door" rules which operate in the United States, Britain and Canada - to enforce such a waiting period.

This would stop former politicians being able to use privileged information and contacts gained in their former careers to win lucrative consultancies or lobbying positions.

The Democrats will introduce a bill tomorrow providing for penalties of up to $250,000 for breaches of the waiting period. Labor is pushing for a one-year cooling-off period, and the Greens want five years.

The Wooldridge consultancy with the GPs' college is one of three which have been criticised as unacceptable.

The former finance minister, John Fahey, has taken work in the financial sector and the former defence minister, Peter Reith, is now a consultant with a defence contractor.

Dr Wooldridge has said that he has made no approaches to former colleagues, ministerial staff or public servants since his employment by the college and that the grant had been made before it approached him to be a consultant.

But in the Senate yesterday, Labor's Robert Ray turned the defence back on Dr Wooldridge, saying that the former minister did not need to do any future work, because "he was being paid off for services already rendered".


	Government News Index site index HOME PM to plug hole left by Wooldridge By Mike Seccombe The Prime Minister, John Howard, promised yesterday to reinstate $5 million taken from asthma and rural health projects by the former health minister Michael Wooldridge to help fund a new headquarters for a doctors' group which now employs him. Mr Howard also pledged an inquiry by "relevant departments" - understood to be the health and finance departments - into the redirection of the money. He told Parliament that he did "not rule out withdrawing the Commonwealth's offer to the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners". The moves came as the political row worsened around the grant to the college, made just a week before the calling of the last federal election. Dr Wooldridge left politics at the election and subsequently took a job as a consultant to the college. It appears that the offer was approved by the health and finance departments, but did not go to cabinet. Mr Howard said he had "no recollection of having been informed". Dr Wooldridge's successor as Health Minister, Kay Patterson, first claimed that the programs from which the money was taken had underspent and that the $5 million would have been returned to consolidated revenue. But yesterday, after the Opposition pointed to similar long-term health programs in which unspent money had been rolled over into the next year, Senator Patterson said she had relied on departmental advice provided on Sunday "when it is not easy to get all the information". In a further complication, the contract for the new building requires that the college secure co-tenants - including specifically the Australian Divisions of General Practice (ADGP), representing about 18,000 GPs. But this group said its board had met at the weekend and decided against such a move, at least until after a new agreement between GP organisations was reached after June. Mr Howard denied that the controversy increased the need for a compulsory "cooling off" period between ministers and senior ministerial staff leaving office and their accepting positions in related areas in the private sector. All other parties in the Parliament are pushing various proposals - similar to the "revolving door" rules which operate in the United States, Britain and Canada - to enforce such a waiting period. This would stop former politicians being able to use privileged information and contacts gained in their former careers to win lucrative consultancies or lobbying positions. The Democrats will introduce a bill tomorrow providing for penalties of up to $250,000 for breaches of the waiting period. Labor is pushing for a one-year cooling-off period, and the Greens want five years. The Wooldridge consultancy with the GPs' college is one of three which have been criticised as unacceptable. The former finance minister, John Fahey, has taken work in the financial sector and the former defence minister, Peter Reith, is now a consultant with a defence contractor. Dr Wooldridge has said that he has made no approaches to former colleagues, ministerial staff or public servants since his employment by the college and that the grant had been made before it approached him to be a consultant. But in the Senate yesterday, Labor's Robert Ray turned the defence back on Dr Wooldridge, saying that the former minister did not need to do any future work, because "he was being paid off for services already rendered". The Age Index