An interim board will convene soon to lead the health promotion agency Healthway following the withdrawal of the last independent board member, Professor Gary Geelhoed.
Professor Geelhoed was the Australian Medical Association’s (AMA) representative on the board, and had resisted calls from the Government to resign as part of a bid for a clean sweep of all board positions until yesterday.
The organisation has been in limbo since a damning Public Sector Commission report found evidence of ticket and hospitality rorting by some board members and staff.
Health Minister Kim Hames said Professor Geelhoed’s resignation had been accepted and the new board would now quickly deal with the uncertainty over existing sponsorships.
“They’ll have a meeting as soon as possible to authorise the funding for all those groups that are desperately waiting to find out about their funding,” he said.
“In the meantime, we’ll look at changing the board of Healthway which is what I’d planned to do all along.”
Change in board structure to remove representatives
The AMA appears to have failed in its attempt to retain a representative on the interim board.
It had resisted calls for its representative to resign, expressing deep concern at the Government’s plan to reform the agency.
It wanted a guarantee the organisation’s independence would be preserved, but Mr Hames said the AMA would have no position on the interim board now being set up.
“That’s just not how it works. They don’t understand the legislation,” he said.
“They’re entitled under the current structure of the board to nominate two people but that process has me taking those nominations through Cabinet and approving them.
“Well, I won’t be doing that because we’re wanting to change the board.”
On Monday, AMA president Michael Gannon said while the AMA had agreed to withdraw Professor Geelhoed, it still wanted a representative on the interim board to ensure the organisation remained independent.
“It’s not a plaything of the Deputy Premier, the Health Minister. It’s not a plaything of the Premier,” he said.
“It’s functions are set out clearly in legislation. The Premier can’t just decide tomorrow, he’s going to close it.”
Dr Hames said the legislation to reform the organisation must be approved by Cabinet, and then passed through the Parliament.
He said the views of specific groups or agencies would not be given special status.
“I’m hoping that it’s the way I’d like to do it which I think is pretty much the same way as the AMA would like it, but we’re not going to be dictated to by anybody in terms of what we do,” Dr Hames said.
Organisations will not have special representation on the Healthway board.
“There won’t be, under the structure I’m hoping to get up, representatives from any individual body, the AMA or anybody else,” he said.