KEY POINTS:
Writing regarding my brief contract with the Ministry for the Environment in 2006, Fran O'Sullivan suggests there was a conspiracy to plant me in the ministry to do Minister Parker's bidding and that this conspiracy was then covered up through the State Services Commission investigation.
As somebody who was central in these events, I can tell you that she is wrong. I prefer to look for simpler explanations that accept that everyone [involved in the investigation] provided their honest recollections of the events.
I can only conclude that seeds were sown for some workplace gossip about the reasons for my appointment. The State Services Commission report stated: "Over Ms Curran's time in the ministry, more staff became aware of her professional association with the minister and her membership of the Labour Party. In this environment, it is not surprising that there was some speculation within the ministry about whether her hiring by the ministry was linked to her background.
"Within the communications team, her alleged appointment at the behest of the minister was becoming received wisdom by the time the acting manager, communications, started in July."
The report goes on to say:
"The ministry could have managed better internal communications around Ms Curran's engagement ... better management in this area could have reduced ill-informed speculation within the ministry, and possibly externally, about Ms Curran and the ministry's reasons for engaging her."
I assume that "ill-informed speculation" is public service speak for gossip.
The report concluded that: "Ms Curran acted appropriately throughout her engagement with the ministry ... she was open about her association with the Labour Party ... There is no evidence that Ms Curran brought her politics into the job and there is a consistent picture that Ms Curran was very professional and produced work of good quality."
The past couple of months have been distressing for all involved. It is unfortunate that Erin Leigh's concerns about the prospect of my engagement by the ministry were not raised with the State Services at the time they arose. I am sure the matter would have been seriously examined then by the commission in a way that would have caused far less damage.
Instead, allegations were raised first through the National Party, and then through the media. This all occurred shortly after I announced that I would seek Labour Party selection for Dunedin South.
I had fully expected that if I was successful in that selection, I would come under closer scrutiny and possible attack. But I had not expected it to come so quickly and so viciously.
I believe Erin Leigh has been used by the National Party in this sorry affair. Will I get an apology from Nick Smith for his associating my work for the Ministry for the Environment with Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels (local government and environment select committee, November 15, 2007)?
And will I get apologies from John Key and Gerry Brownlee who have impugned my professionalism and integrity over the past two months to make political capital over what I believe was nothing more than "water cooler gossip"? (abridged)
