Wagga MP Joe McGirr has defended his move to dismiss all current staff from his newly acquired electorate office on the basis that he needed a “fresh start”.
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Dr McGirr told The Daily Advertiser that it was common in politics for incoming MPs to replace their whole staff, particularly when it involved employees hired under a different political party.
Two of the departing senior electorate officers, Alexandra Tierney and Brenda Tritton, have written a letter to The Daily Advertiser that raised issues with how the process was handled.
The officers’ letter expressed regret that Dr McGirr had let go of staff with experience that spanned "over three decades with unmatched skill, dedication and efficiency" and that Dr McGirr had not met with the staff in person.
In response to the complaints, Dr McGirr stood by his decision and said he would not meet with the departing staff in person.
“It is not unusual for an incoming member to have a new staff and there is a procedure in place for that, and that is taken care of by Parliamentary Services,” Dr McGirr said.
“I certainly have indicated that I wanted a new team.
“I haven't done anything out of the ordinary; I think a fresh start with my own team is very important.”
Dr McGirr is an independent and his predecessor, Daryl Maguire, was a Liberal up until three weeks before resigning from Parliament.
The Daily Advertiser understands that staff members in the office on Wagga's Morgan Street were told late on Friday afternoon that they would lose their jobs.
Dr McGirr was declared the provisional winner of the Wagga byelection just after 1pm on Friday following a preference vote count.
The notifications were handled by NSW Parliament’s human resources, with the departing staff being offered severance packages and told to vacate the office on Thursday.
The two officers also took exception with a prior letter to the editor written by Dr McGirr and published in The Daily Advertiser on Tuesday.
“The article … from Dr Joe McGirr regarding establishing the Wagga electorate office and ‘engaging a responsive and committed team’ is a slight against the existing staff members who have continued to uphold the office under very trying circumstances since the departure of the last Member in July,” the electorate officers stated.
The letters to the editor
Real work starts now for new Member for Wagga
I am writing to thank you, the people of the electorate of Wagga Wagga, for giving me the opportunity to serve as your local member.
To each of you who voted for me I humbly thank you for your support and I accept the challenge you have given me.
To those of you who voted for other candidates, I wish to assure you that my dedication to serve will embrace all of you across the length and breadth of our electorate.
I also wish to thank our team of volunteers, supporters and local businesses who have helped with our campaign. I feel so fortunate to have had this support.
Finally, I would like to touch on the future.
As I travelled across the electorate during the campaign I met so many of you who felt disillusioned with the current political culture.
I heard of many issues that were duplicated in every community across the electorate; your concerns about the cost of living, electricity prices, job opportunities and safety were foremost among these.
Another overwhelming concern was that our electorate not be forgotten by the government.
In our communities there is a sense and feeling of isolation from Macquarie Street and a desire to have our needs addressed and our region grow.
I will work to remove this sense of disenchantment. And the work begins now.
I hope to take my seat in Parliament this week after I am officially sworn in as your new member.
My first job will be to continue to consult widely throughout the electorate to better understand in detail your concerns and bring these to government.
In establishing my electorate office in the coming weeks, my priority is to ensure I engage a responsive and committed team to tackle the issues you bring to us and to listen to and support your needs and assist you to continue the development of our electorate into the future.
Dr Joe McGirr, Member for Wagga Wagga
Staff tossed on the scrapheap
The article in (Tuesday’s) paper from Dr Joe McGirr regarding establishing the Wagga electorate office and “engaging a responsive and committed team” is a slight against the existing staff members who have continued to uphold the office under very trying circumstances since the departure of the last member in July.
The staff have continued the important work for the constituents of the Wagga Wagga electorate without fail or command of an MP.
The office staff experience spans over three decades with unmatched skill, dedication and efficiency.
It is a disappointed that the incoming member has not met with the well-established, existing staff before replacing them to engage his new “responsive and committed team”.
Alexandra Tierney and Brenda Tritton, outgoing senior electorate officers
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