NT Education Dept bureaucrat apologises for imitating man on Facebook
A senior Northern Territory bureaucrat has issued a public apology to a school teacher for imitating him on Facebook.
Philip Brennan has taken out an advertisement in the classifieds section of Saturday's NT News admitting he created a fake profile and posted on two pages pretending to be the man.
"While in my previous job as General Manager of Human Resources of the Northern Territory Department of Education I did something that was wrong and has caused harm to an ex-employee, Mr Stephen Ferguson," the classified reads.
"This is a published apology."
"I wish to take full responsibility for my actions and formally acknowledge the hurt and damage my actions have caused Mr Ferguson."
Mr Brennan said he created an email address almost identical to Mr Ferguson's in late 2013.
"I then used this email address to set up a fake Facebook page using Mr Ferguson's full legal name and spent some time placing images on it to make it look more authentic," the advertisement says.
He said he commented on two sites, including a union page, pretending to be the teacher.
"I knew these comments to be false and I was aware that they could be detrimental to the employment prospects of Mr Ferguson if read by a potential employer.
"I hereby apologise to Mr Ferguson unreservedly for the suffering I have caused him. I am deeply sorry and promise to never engage in such conduct nor anything like it again."
The NT Education Department (NTDOE) issued a statement to the ABC confirming the authenticity of the classified ad.
"Mr Brennan made the department aware of the matters outlined in his letter of apology," said Ken Davies, NT DOE chief executive.
"The department conducted an investigation into the matters and as a result Mr Brennan was disciplined and stood down from duty.
"The details of the investigation are confidential and a private employment matter between the department and Mr Brennan, however I can say that the investigation found that Mr Brennan undertook the activities mentioned in his letter in his own time and using his own facilities."
Mr Brennan is longer employed by the Education Department.
It is now understood that he works for Health.
Mr Brennan and Mr Ferguson have been contacted for comment.
