A former Greens minister has claimed she found out more from the media about a sensitive issue than from the public service and there had been a "systemic" issue with wrongly directed briefings. Emma Davidson said she told the ACT public service head, Kathy Leigh, in 2022 about the Community Services Directorate not briefing her on issues within her portfolio and instead informing Labor's Rachel Stephen-Smith, who held adjacent portfolios.
Kurrajong independent Thomas Emerson, who questioned Ms Leigh at estimates, has referred the issue to the ACT's Public Sector Standards Commissioner, saying the "serious allegations warranted independent investigation". "To hear that, as a minister, Ms Davidson learned more from the media about a serious matter in her portfolio than from her own directorate is alarming," Mr Emerson said.
Full article here: https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/9046857/greens-minister-claims-briefing-issues-in-act-service/