Health Minister Tim Nicholls has accused Labor of trying to “distract” from the government’s efforts to address health issues with continued questions about the issue of the dumped hiring of a new chief health officer.
Dr Krispin Hajkowicz is seeking legal advice after his selection through an external recruitment process was rescinded. Premier David Crisafulli had raised concerns with the Health Department head.
Giving a statement to parliament before question time on Tuesday, Nicholls sought to get ahead of the looming questions from Labor.
Dr Krispin Hajkowicz was due to become Queensland’s new Chief Health Officer.
“We can expect today that Labor will try to distract from their decade of decline,” he said. “Labor have been trying to distract for weeks in relation to the Chief Health Officer recruitment process, trying their hardest, selling their little stories, trying to get this story up.”
Nicholls then confirmed details which had emerged that the recruitment was a decision for director general David Rosengren alone, and “the appointment of the chief health officer is not considered by cabinet”.
Premier David Crisafulli was then asked in question time why he sought to “influence” Rosengren to reverse the decision, an accusation he did not deny. Crisafulli reiterated that the government deemed him unfit because he had withdrawn from the role in 2021.
“I don’t think it would be acceptable for the state, in a forward-facing role like this, to put the individual there, and I don’t think it’d be right for him either … I don’t believe that Dr Hajkowicz is suitable for that role.”
In question time, Labor cited “whistleblower” information that the recruitment panel considered this decision, which Hajkowicz said at the time was for personal reasons, and still selected him.
