Bureaucrat Louise Sylvan paid $300,000 a year to do nothing

[nero_bolt]

Bureaucrat Louise Sylvan paid $300,000 a year to do nothing at the Australian National Preventative Health Agency, which closed in June

A LABOR-appointed bureaucrat is being paid $28,000 a month to head an agency that no longer exists.

In what may well be the world’s best job, Louise Sylvan is earning more than $300,000 a year to be CEO of the ­Australian National Preventative Health Agency, which was closed down in June.

Documents sighted by The Daily Telegraph show the long-time bureaucrat has no official daily duties, but continues to collect a salary because her contract — which doesn’t end until September 2016 — can only be terminated by a change in legislation.

Ms Sylvan was offered a ­redundancy package of more than $200,000 when the agency shut but did not accept it.

Ms Sylvan is not breaching any laws by refusing to accept the package. ANPHA employed more than 40 staff and had a budget of $5 million after it was formed following then prime minister Kevin Rudd’s 20/20 summit.

The agency had sweeping powers to provide grants and sponsor events it deemed could assist the fight against obesity and drinking.

Yet it wasted $200,000 of taxpayer money on a cookbook which taught people how to cook spaghetti bolognese.

It also provided $130,000 in funding for the Summer ­Nationals street burnout ­competition in 2012 and 2013. (yep thats really good use of our money in the fight against obesity and drinking.  NOT)

The Abbott government cut the agency this year and ­absorbed some of its powers into other departments.

A spokesman for Health Minister Peter Dutton refused to comment on Ms Sylvan’s severance package, although he did confirm that the agency no longer existed.

It is understood Ms Sylvan has an office in a Department of Health building in Sydney, despite having no duties.

Her total salary is $332,800 per annum and her base salary is $242,950.

Ms Sylvan signed a ­five-year deal as CEO in September 2011 when Nicola Roxon was Health Minister.

The experienced administrator has had a lengthy career, including deputy chair of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.

[i-need-a-martini]

Well perhaps the Liberal Party should have considered the financial and legal implications of closing down a department when people had employment contracts in place.

I think it's hilarious that you or whoever wrote that stupid article, point the finger at Labor as if it is their fault when all it shows is that the Liberal Party never quite think through their decisions. No wonder that the Health Minister decided that it was best that he not comment on the issue - cause fingers might be pointed right back at him lol!

Wasn't it Abbott who accused Labor with one of the rights favourite insult - thought bubble government...?

[kabarine]

'n Aboott is paid how much P A? to do NOTHING!

[icyfroth]

"can only be terminated by a change in legislation." What does that mean?

[karliandjacko]

Haha, who wrote this pile of poo to throw at some person and more to the point where is this cook book that contains only a single recipe for spagetti bolognaise?

The Summer Nats is exactly the sort of place to advertise health programs. There are huge numbers of people that travel to Canberra for the event. It's similar to having a stand at the Easter Show.  Did they do that too before the dept was axed?

[icyfroth]

So what does that mean, someone please - "can only be terminated by a change in legislation."

[the_great_she_elephant]

The agency had sweeping powers to provide grants and sponsor events it deemed could assist the fight against obesity and drinking.

Yet it wasted $200,000 of taxpayer money on a cookbook which taught people how to cook spaghetti bolognese.

What? A cookbook with only one recipe in it? That would, indeed, be a gross waste of money.

[i-need-a-martini]

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@icyfroth wrote:
So what does that mean, someone please - "can only be terminated by a change in legislation."

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I suspect that this simply means she is on a contract as are thousands of other senior executive contract public servants.

If their positions become obsolete, they can choose to continue to ride out their current contract, they can choose to accept another job elsewhere or they can choose to take a redundancy package. The legislation currently protects the employee. As it should.

In order for them not to have the choices above, then the industrial relations legislation would need to change.

[i-need-a-martini]

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@karliandjacko wrote:

The Summer Nats is exactly the sort of place to advertise health programs. There are huge numbers of people that travel to Canberra for the event. It's similar to having a stand at the Easter Show.  Did they do that too before the dept was axed?

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Yeah I was thinking the same thing.

Given that the aim of the dept was education, surely something like the Summer Nats is right up their alley?