Fire Service man in old slot after big payout

By EUGENE BINGHAM political reporter

A senior Fire Service executive who received a redundancy payout was re-employed on contract soon after and continues to work in a role similar to the one he left.

Murray McKee pocketed what is believed to be a six-figure sum after helping then-Fire Service Commission chairman Roger Estall and others put together the failed modernisation model that would have seen all firefighters' jobs "disestablished."

Soon afterwards, he was "re-engaged" on contract and, as of last week, continued to work at the Fire Service headquarters as "change management coordinator."

Circumstances surrounding the redundancy and employment of Mr McKee are the subject of Government questions after the Herald approached Internal Affairs Minister Mark Burton for an explanation.

The previous Government faced criticism over its handling of golden handshakes within the service, including a $68,000 payment to Mr Estall when he resigned.

Fire Service acting chief executive Alison Timms, meanwhile, defended the service but has so far declined to answer detailed questions in deference to Mr McKee's privacy.

But Professional Firefighters' Union president Derek Best called for details to be made public.

"Whatever arrangements were made with Mr McKee, it involved public money and the public are entitled to know what the arrangements are so they can judge for themselves whether it's appropriate," he said.

And Alliance list MP Grant Gillon said yesterday: "The trail of secret handshakes has to end so that trust can be restored between the Fire Service, firefighters and the public."

Mr McKee joined the service in 1996 and was later appointed central region general manager.

Documents obtained by the Herald show that position was "disestablished" in December 1997, though Mr McKee stayed on the payroll until June 1998, working on plans for the restructuring of the service.

He received a redundancy payment within the terms of his 1996 employment contract.

The documents show that since July 1998, Mr McKee has been engaged on contracts for the service and the commission under both Mr Estall and his successor as head of the commission, Dame Margaret Bazley.

Ms Timms - the acting chief executive since Jean Martin resigned in May last year, receiving a secret payout herself - confirmed that Mr McKee had been contracted to the service throughout the last financial year.

She refused to divulge what arrangements had been made with him since the beginning of the new financial year on July 1.

Neither would she confirm the size of Mr McKee's payout or when he received it.

Sources have told the Herald Mr McKee's redundancy was one of three included in the last annual report, which revealed that three former employees shared more than $330,000 in severance payments in the year to June 1999.

The service refuses to say which former staff received the payouts.

Ms Timms defended Mr McKee's role at the service since he received his redundancy.

"It's clear from the information you have got that there was a redundancy situation and then after that there was some short-term commissions from time to time on a contractual basis," she said.

"It's not as if he was in employment, took redundancy and then was offered another full-time, permanent situation."

A service spokeswoman said last night that Mr McKee was not available.