Sir Brian Roche: Public Service Commissioner on Andrew Coster's resignation as Social Investment Agency Head

The Public Service Commissioner says he believes former Police Commissioner Andrew Coster is genuinely sorry, following his resignation as Social Investment Agency Head.

Coster's accepted responsibility for shortcomings highlighted in an IPCA report on the handling of complaints against his then Deputy Jevon McSkimming.

His final pay will be near $124 thousand.

Sir Brian Roche told Mike Hosking Coster's always seemed genuine in all his experiences with him. 

He says Coster's very sincere and has real courage, and is confident what he says he believes, is true. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
So the Andrew Costa saga, as you're well aware, has
come to a conclusion. We have a resignation and an apology.
It follows the IPCA review into the handling of them
skimming complaints of Brian Wroach as the Public Services Commissioner,
of course, and it is back with us. Good morning
to you, Good morning. Was this a time play on
your partner which you were looking to direct him to
where he got?

Speaker 2 (00:20):
I think it was just a process. He finally got
to the point many others had got to. I think
he's got to the right place. It top three weeks,
which was longer than some of us would of liked,
but it was important we got the right outcome, and
I think we have.

Speaker 1 (00:35):
How was the ball in his court?

Speaker 2 (00:38):
Ultimately? I had decision rights, but he also had decision rights.
He exercised those before I had to do anything else.

Speaker 1 (00:46):
Was he aware you would ob sacked him.

Speaker 2 (00:49):
I think it was very key for him that that
was a likely outcome.

Speaker 1 (00:53):
So you at no point you said, listen, mate, I'd
like you to just write a letter and be nice
about it. If you can't, I'm going to sack you.
So nothing like that was ever exchange.

Speaker 2 (01:01):
We didn't. We didn't do that. But you know, he
has spent a lot of time considering his position and
what defense, if any, he had, And I think his
public statements are very clear that he's taken a very difficult,
but I think appropriate decision. He's accepted responsibility, express regret,
and apologized he's lost his job. I'm really not sure

(01:24):
what more he could do.

Speaker 1 (01:25):
Did he move ground significantly? I was told early on
he was, if not a ghast at it, certainly surprised.
He couldn't work out what he'd done wrong. Was that fair?

Speaker 2 (01:35):
I think it's for him a little while to learn
the magnitude. But he is not a stupid person or
in any form of denial. It just he absorbed the
IPCA report, as he said, he was shocked when he
read the totality of what went on.

Speaker 1 (01:52):
The apology in his wording, is that all him?

Speaker 2 (01:57):
It's him and me? I think he those words are
his words, are not my words. But I strongly endorse
what he's done, and I think it shows an accountability
in action. We don't see a lot of it.

Speaker 1 (02:11):
No, I was just what I want to know, is
he genuine in the apology. I mean, he's come to
a conclusion that he's genuinely sorry. He genuinely made a mistake,
and you know he's going to lessen here.

Speaker 2 (02:22):
All my experiences of Anti Costa, he's a very genuine person,
he's very sincere, and he has got real courage. I
absolutely believe what he said.

Speaker 1 (02:32):
He believes right now that you've dispensed with this, and
I presume you're going on holiday, where's this reorganization of
the public service got to while you've been handling all
this nonsense.

Speaker 2 (02:44):
It's progressing. We still have a plan, which I've talked
about publicly. Ultimately it will be a matter for decision
by ministers. But I'm strongly of the view that we
have too many entities. We could do the same amount
of work with less entities. We could remove duplication, adop technology.
I believe it's a really strong story for those who
work in the public.

Speaker 1 (03:05):
Good good good. When's it all going to happen?

Speaker 2 (03:08):
I would like to start early next year if I could,
but this will take three to five years. It's not
an overnight thing. It doesn't need to be. But if
we don't move now, our options will become less and less.
I think that's to the detriment of the taxpath.

Speaker 1 (03:22):
Good stuff. Nice to talk to you, Brian go Well.
Subrian writes Public Services Commissioned. For more from the mic
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