In Australia, an Education Minister Resigns After Corruption by Staff Comes to the Fore
New Delhi: The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) education minister, Yvette Berry, has resigned from cabinet after an Integrity Commission made "serious corrupt conduct" findings against two senior public servants in her portfolio. It is noteworthy that Berry resigned despite that commission having cleared her of any involvement in the case.
The news may resonate with the situation in India, where thousands of young people protesting in the aftermath of serious public exam paper leaks have called for the resignation of education minister Dharmendra Pradhan. They have been met with police brutality, internet shutdowns, and until recently, silence from the government.
An ABC report has it that the corruption involves public officials illegally tampering with an $18.2 million school contract to favour a real estate company, Landlease.
Berry has been the longest serving deputy chief minister in the ACT's history, since 2016, and has been considered a potential successor to Andrew Barr as chief minister.
“The Commission found that former Education Directorate director-general Katy Haire and Ms Berry’s former chief of staff Joshua Ceramidas dishonestly created a “back door” for Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union (CFMEU) interests to influence the procurement. Two tender evaluation teams had recommended construction company Manteena as the preferred contractor, but the $18.2 million contract was ultimately awarded to real estate company Lendlease instead," reported Canberra Daily.
The ACT has said in its investigation report that it launched its probe in March 2021 on capital works procurement for the Campbell Primary School Modernisation Project between 2019 and 2020.
The case had led to public outrage in the Australian capital, Canberra, when it turned out that the local builder Manteena was blocked despite offering to complete the project for a price almost $900,000 lower than Lendlease.
The public was further outraged when it was revealed that Canberra taxpayers were paying the legal fees of officials involved in the corruption case, including the ex-education director, Katy Haire.
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