Incompetent McGinty's Improper Conduct Costs Taxpayers $115 million

No CCC Inquiry over health record shambles.

During former Labor Minister Jim McGinty's stewardship of WA Health, the Auditor General has revealed that not only did he hand out a $115 million contract for an electronic health records system without a tender, but he also failed to have a business case prepared to justify that expenditure - as required by his own Health Act.

Bit Smelly?

Will the Corruption and Crime Commission Chairman Len Roberts Smith inquire into this improper conduct or possible corruption?

The decision by Jim McGinty and WA Health to award the Patients Admission System (PAS) to British Company iSoft without a tender was a disgrace. WA Health called a meeting of all prospective vendors at which it was expected that the tender would be announced. Instead WA Health said there would be no tender and that they had already awarded the work to iSoft.

Bit smelly?

Imagine if Brian Burke or Julian Grill did this. The CCC and Robert's Smith would be down on them like a tonne of bricks, investigating for evidence of a kick backs, corruption and improper conduct.

As well as criticising the omission in awarding the contract, under Jim McGinty's stewardship the Auditor General said WA Health failed to monitor the contract, he criticised the alarming inadequacy, sometime absence of important financial records. Incompetence after bungling incompetence is documented in the Auditor General's report. see www.audit.wa.gov.au

The contempt for taxpayers by these braggadocios and their foolish incompetence is no surprise to the Desert Rat.

The Auditor General clearly lays the blame at Jim McGinty's feet when as Health Minister Parliament appropriated $335 million for the electronic health records system in 2004 but McGinty stuffed it up; he dropped the ball.

Jim McGinty it would seem has political immunity when it come to investigation by the CCC - why?

Demise of "nowhere man" Carpenter

Isn't he a nowhere man, living in a nowhere land, making up his nowhere plans, for nobody.
Doesn't have a point of view, knows not where he's going to .....

Did youu have the misfortune of watching Alan Carpenter's retirement announcement on ABC TV last night?

The interview was marked by immaturity and superficiality.

The ALP Caucas gave Jim McGinty the failed former minister a free hand to pick leading lights for safe seats and Carpenter was his fifth choice after five knockbacks.

No person can claim to be grown up if they don't take responsibility for their own decisions. Carpenter blamed everybody except himself for his demise. He followed his own well trodden path of scoring off his colleagues.

When asked to make some comment on his term he could say nothing more profound than he "had a wonderful vision" and he "got rid of Brian Burke, for which he deserved a big tick".

His lament at the loss of superannuation was a far cry from his high profile sanctimony when he self righteously campaigned for its abolition in the first blush of his Parliamentary term. He told some of his colleagues including Kim Chance, that it was" the biggest mistake of my life".

The Desert Rat knew Alan Carpenter and saw him as an abject failure, bereft of ideas to contribute to the ALP and Parliament.

Graeme Campbell got him right, from day one, two decades ago, when he told me he was a pissant.