Joel Fitzgibbon quits

[drron]

I am sure that happens as well. I also would expect them to meet with Vet affairs due to the connections between ageing and health and the funding between agencies.

I have no idea why they wouldnt meet in the health minister's office though.

If they did meet Veteran affairs officials would it not be in the Office of the minister for Veterans Affairs not the Defence ministers office?
And yes I did say they would meet in the office of the Health Minister.

 

[NM]

From my reading of the media reports, the straw that broke the camel's back was that the ex-minister instructed people employed under his portfolio (an army General) to meet with a company of which his brother is CEO.

As linked in the first post of this thread:

Mr Fitzgibbon resigned after it was revealed that he had instructed an Army general to meet with a US Insurance company, of which his brother Mark is an employee.

So it was not just that the meeting happened, but the instruction to meet came directly from the ex-minister. We have not been told if similar instruction was issued for the same Army staff to meet with other specific health insurance companies.

 

[simongr]

Mr Fitzgibbon resigned after it was revealed that he had instructed an Army general to meet with a US Insurance company, of which his brother Mark is an employee.

Some high class reporting there. I thought Mark Fitzgibbon was the MD of NIB holdings ltd and not an employee of a US Health Fund?

 

[drron]

Some high class reporting there. I thought Mark Fitzgibbon was the MD of NIB holdings ltd and not an employee of a US Health Fund?

It is news ltd after all!I am surprised that QF couldnt have been worked into the story.Surely at least 1 person at the meeting flew QF.So you could have a great headline-Qantas Flight Leads To Ministers resignation.They are slipping.

 

[Moody]

When you are in office it is important that there is both the actual and perceived "arms-length" distance between your public reponsibilities and your private affairs. Unfortunately they were muddied due to the initial contact from the minister and the involvement of his office and staff.

What surprises me is the resignation. Since when did nepotism and under the table deals mean a federal minister has to resign? Haven't seen that sort of reaction for well over a decade.

 

[simongr]

What surprises me is the resignation. Since when did nepotism and under the table deals mean a federal minister has to resign? Haven't seen that sort of reaction for well over a decade.

I think it just shows much more honorable and effective a Prime Minister Kevin Rudd is.

 

[rwatts]

Some high class reporting there. I thought Mark Fitzgibbon was the MD of NIB holdings ltd and not an employee of a US Health Fund?

The US health fund involved was Humana which NIB apparently has plans to partner with. A subsidiary of Humana is a major health care contractor to the US military.

Fitzgibbon's resignation letter mentions Humana in several places - eg

Having read the transcript of proceedings I decided to thoroughly examine the nature of any contact between Humana, my brother and my office.

Richard.

 

[Keith009]

... and his replacement is revealed:

John Faulkner to be new Defence Minister

John Faulkner has been appointed Australia's new Defence Minister following the resignation of Joel Fitzgibbon.