While Scott Morrison is busy comparing himself to a dentist and Anthony Albanese is musing about growing on the job, let’s talk about something more pertinent – Alan Tudge and a $500,000-plus taxpayer-funded payout no one wants to discuss.
This story has a few moving parts.
Last year, the prime minister faced pressure to do something about Tudge. His former staffer Rachelle Miller alleged in December that Tudge had been emotionally and, in one instance, physically abusive towards her during a personal and professional relationship. Tudge denied Miller’s allegations and went to the backbench.
Morrison then appointed former bureaucrat Vivienne Thom to investigate whether or not there had been any breach of ministerial standards. After an inquiry, Thom said there wasn’t “a basis for a finding that Mr Tudge’s conduct breached the ministerial standards”.
There were two footnotes. “The evidence available to the inquiry was limited by Ms Miller’s decision not to participate”, Thom wrote, and the ministerial standards “do not specifically address broader integrity and conflict of interest issues that can be a consequence of relationships that do not amount to ongoing or family relationships”.
After the Thom report was released, Tudge said he had “requested not to be returned to the frontbench before the election”, saying he would focus on his family and electorate.
But in the final week of parliament, government officials revealed that Tudge actually remained education minister and was “on leave” despite the acting minister, Stuart Robert, performing the functions of the job.
Roll forward to Sunday. Morrison was asked by a journalist whether or not Tudge would return to the cabinet after the election.
The prime minister responded: “Alan Tudge is still in my cabinet.”
This insight was something of a mic drop, given Morrison had said very clearly back on 4 March Tudge was “not seeking to return to the frontbench and I support his decision”.
By Monday of this week, Morrison was telling Sky News that Tudge “didn’t resign, and nor was he dismissed. He stood aside, and we had an independent inquiry. That independent inquiry found there was no reason he could not continue on as a minister”.
Morrison finally noted: “Alan decided to stay, standing aside”.
Ladies and gentlemen, we have Schrödinger’s minister. Tudge is both out of the cabinet and in the cabinet.
He’s in for the purposes of maintaining an ongoing claim to the position, but most decidedly out when it comes to the routine scrutiny that is supposed to accompany such exalted status.
Then we arrive at the payout. Back in November 2020, Miller filed a workplace harassment lawsuit seeking compensation for her treatment as a staffer, including allegedly being belittled in Tudge’s office and deprived of further career progression once shuffled into the office of then employment minister Michaelia Cash.
On Monday, news.com.au revealed Miller was in line to receive a taxpayer-funded compensation payment of at least $500,000, plus legal costs. That’s half a million-plus – on the taxpayer.
Just as Tudge seems to be afflicted by absent presenteeism, this payout is both present and absent. Clearly, some kind of settlement between Miller and the commonwealth (pertaining to something) has been reached or almost reached. But details remain elusive. Nobody is prepared to answer any questions about it.
The Coalition’s campaign spokesperson, Anne Ruston, said earlier this week the payout was not related to the (denied) misconduct allegations raised by Miller but “a separate matter”. Apart from that, Ruston was Sergeant Schultz. (If you aren’t as old as me, Google Hogan’s Heroes. You’ll get the drift.)
On Adelaide radio on Tuesday, Morrison was asked how he could argue that the payout to Miller was private when it was taxpayers picking up the tab.
“Well, I have no visibility on that at all,” the prime minister said.
Umm, sorry, what? Aren’t you the prime minister?
Morrison continued: “I can’t confirm to you whether a payment has even been made. I know it’s taxpayers’ money and those matters are handled by the Department of Finance at arm’s length from politicians including, you know, the special minister of state.”
The radio host in Adelaide was similarly flummoxed. “So does money just fly out of the sky in the finance department? Half a million dollars lands in your lap and no one’s got any real oversight over it?”
Words from the prime minister followed. “You’re assuming that there aren’t matters that relate to members right across the parliament as we go into an election and there are staffers who are ending … concluding up their time”.
“The Department of Finance has provisions that enable them to deal with these matters privately. But you’re also assuming that there is any wrongdoing on Alan Tudge’s part. No matter has been raised with me by the Department of Finance in relation to any of those things”.
To be clear: nobody is assuming anything.
What’s happening is journalists are asking questions – perfectly reasonable, routine ones – that are not being answered.
Morrison claims he’s being upfront.
The prime minister said on Tuesday the government had released the Thom report “and it’s there for people to see that Alan Tudge can continue to serve”. Tudge had chosen “for a period of time” to stand aside from the ministry. No other education minister had been sworn in.
“We’re very transparent about all of that,” he said. Really?
Here in full is what Morrison said on 4 March. The italics are mine, for emphasis.
“In December, minister Tudge agreed to my request to stand aside from the ministry, while these allegations were examined.
“Today he has informed me that in the interests of his family and his own wellbeing and in order to focus on his re-election as the Member for Aston he is not seeking to return to the frontbench, and I support his decision.
“Minister Stuart Robert will continue in his role as acting minister for education and youth and minister for employment, workforce, skills, small and family business.”
We can end with these observations. Schrödinger’s minister and the visibly invisible payout is an extraordinary set of circumstances.
Let’s be very clear and direct about what’s happening. Morrison and the government is being the opposite of transparent.
Morrison is hoping to slide away from scrutiny by revving his campaign engine so loudly that all voters will hear is “Don’t vote Labor”.
