ACT Education Minister denies directing staff on outcome of Campbell Primary School refurbishment tender
Education minister Yvette Berry has told the ACT integrity commission she doubts she'd have directed her staff to ensure a local construction firm didn't get a government contract because of concerns raised by the trade unions. It comes as the integrity watchdog continues its investigation into whether public officials acted inappropriately by handing a school upgrade project to another company against the recommendations of tender assessors.
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TVTranscript
00:00 It's the first time a minister has fronted up for a public hearing of the ACT Integrity
00:07 Commission.
00:09 Construction giant Lendlease was awarded the contract for the Campbell Primary School modernisation
00:13 project in late 2020, even though local firm Mantena was assessed as the cheaper, better
00:20 option.
00:21 Yvette Berry said she'd been aware of construction union concerns about Mantena, but denies that
00:26 prompted specific directions to not hand them the project.
00:30 "I just don't think it's something I would say," the minister told the commissioner.
00:34 "I don't give direction in that kind of way."
00:37 But it could have been the case that there was a general understanding the CFMEU were
00:41 unhappy with Mantena.
00:43 A former education official had told the Inquiry that then-Acting Director-General of the Directorate,
00:49 Rebecca Cross, informed him Miss Berry's Chief of Staff, Joshua Seremitis, didn't want Mantena
00:55 to get the contract, something Miss Cross denies.
00:58 "I don't recall it, and I think if that had come up in the conversation, I would recall
01:04 it."
01:05 In a previous hearing, CFMEU National Secretary Zach Smith admitted the union did have concerns
01:10 about Mantena, though he doesn't recall them being expressed to the minister or her Chief
01:15 of Staff, Mr Seremitis.
01:17 Miss Berry says she doesn't recall how she found out about the concerns and says she
01:20 wasn't aware of the detail.
01:22 Mr Seremitis is yet to give evidence, with hearings adjourned until later this month.
01:27 [BLANK_AUDIO]