Vickie Chapman MP

Documents released to the SA Liberals under Freedom of Information have exposed major probity issues and a potential fraud within the State Government pathology service.

It can be revealed a government employee provided a company which was bidding for a major government contract with information not accessible to other companies involved with the bidding process.

The questionable practices were discovered when a review of an SA Pathology procurement process was conducted.

Opposition Legal Affairs Spokeswoman Vickie Chapman says the situation is deeply concerning and attempts to have it made public have been foiled by the Health Department.

“I applied for access to this review in April last year and didn’t receive it until December.

“An eight month delay for one document is well beyond what is reasonable and clearly it inhibited the Opposition’s ability to ask questions about this matter in Parliament.”

The ‘Laboratory Information System – Procurement Review’ states:

“It is understood that an Evaluation Team member actually conducted the Due Diligence for (blank) and gave the information back to them on their own letterhead.”

Further that

“A fair process should ensure that both short-listed tenderers have the same information and opportunities. Giving (name removed) an opportunity to provide an updated tender spec (i.e. it had obviously changed from the original specification) and a chance to revise cost without giving the same opportunity to (name removed) creates a significant probity risk.”

The potential fraud isn’t the first to plague government pathology services in recent years.

In September 2008 it was revealed computer software developed within the former government pathology service (IMVS) had been sold to a private company for the paltry sum of $1 and was then being leased by the SA Government at a cost to taxpayers of more than $1million.

Ms Chapman says the veil of secrecy surrounding government needs to be lifted and that transparency would be the cornerstone of a Redmond Liberal Government.

“We have already promised to establish an Independent Commission Against Corruption, detailed greater protection for whistleblowers, and increased Freedom of Information access for journalists.

“South Australians should be proud of their public services and transparency is essential to that.”