Healthway board asked to quit
Government-appointed interim administrators will run Healthway indefinitely after chairwoman Rosanna Capolingua resigned yesterday and Colin Barnett called on its board of directors to follow her.
Dr Capolingua said she paid a high personal price but denied being guilty of widespread misuse of VIP tickets. She said she only went to a "handful" of events in her 15 years on the board.
Her guests included MPs and other key stakeholders in health and "a handful were my children", Dr Capolingua said.
"Certainly it has been a very difficult time for me," she said. "My credibility has been questioned and publicly denigrated."
The Premier said he had high regard for Dr Capolingua but was concerned about the Public Sector Commission report and what it meant for Healthway's standing in the community.
"We came to the conclusion mutually that Healthway would need a clean start, a clear slate if you like," Mr Barnett said.
"We came to the conclusion that that should start with the chair of the board." Mr Barnett said he hoped the other board members would also resign for a fresh start for Healthway, "and it has to be complete in that sense".
Dr Capolingua said a confidentiality deed bound her from discussing Healthway executive director David Malone's resignation two weeks ago.
She said she did not know Healthway was paying for corporate hospitality until an Auditor-General's investigation. The board negotiated Mr Malone's severance with the State Solicitor's Office and PSC advice without going to the Premier or Health Minister.
Mr Barnett said he found the confidentiality provisions "strange" but the board, under its legislation, was empowered to do what it did, which was something he wanted to correct. He said he did not know the sum paid to Mr Malone but expected to reveal it later. Mr Malone said he was proud of what Healthway had achieved in a tough environment.
The reporter's mother, Professor Helen Parker, was appointed to the Healthway board on April 28, 2014
