Plan for PR firm partner to act as premier’s media advisor ‘obviously wrong’, says integrity expert

Adam Langenberg | The ABC – Digital Online | July, 1,  2023

In short: Font PR partner Danielle McKay will work in Premier Jeremy Rockliff ‘s office as a media advisor for eight weeks while he hunts for a new director of communications

What’s next?: An integrity expert has criticised the move saying private PR fi rms should not be given positions in the public sector.

A partner of one of Tasmania’s biggest public relations and lobbying fi rms will work as the premier’s media advisor for the next two months, an arrangement savaged as “obviously wrong” by a leading integrity expert.

Danielle McKay, a partner with Font PR — a firm with extensive Liberal Party links — has been appointed to work in Premier Jeremy Rockliff’s office for eight weeks, while it hunts for a new communications and media director.

Centre for Public Integrity director Geoffrey Watson SC called on the arrangement to be scrapped immediately.

He said it gave rise to a similar conflict of interest as the PwC scandal, where a partner had access to confidential government information that was of benefit to the fi rm’s clients.

“It’s obviously wrong to introduce private sector players to the office of the premier, where they can get access to very confidential information,” he said.

“And as I understand it this is a fi rm where there is a lobbying arm, well you can imagine the kind of information floating around a premier’s office which could be of advantage to the firm.

“This arrangement should be terminated forthwith, it should be closed down, ended, a person should go in on a temporary basis but they should be a public servant, not from the private sector.”

In a statement, the government said Font PR had been engaged consistent with the Department of Premier andCabinet’s marketi ng and communication panel processes.

It said Font would be paid less than $50,000, approximately equivalent to a principal advisor package for the eight-week period, and that Ms McKay was not a registered lobbyist, and would not be doing any lobbying activities.

Ms McKay told the ABC she would act as a media advisor to the premier, with senior advisor Chris Medhurst acting as the director of media and communications.

Confidentiality agreements ‘pieces of paper’

Mr Rockliff said the arrangement was “perfectly appropriate.”

“It’s a contract for eight weeks, it allows us to recruit and fill positions and we welcome Dan to the team, albeit for a very short time,” he said.

“Dan’s worked with us before under [premier Will Hodgman] and indeed supported our team as a senior media advisor before, we needed someone at short notice, and to support us through the recruitment process.”

Mr Rockliff said there were “strict confidentiality agreements” in place and Ms McKay would only be providing public-facing activities, such as media releases, responding to media inquiries and writing speeches.

But Mr Watson said those protections were not enough to justify Ms McKay’s appointment.

“There’s just an obvious risk whenever a person from the private sector has access to this kind of confidential information,” he said.

“Confidentiality agreements are just pieces of paper, the people of PwC signed a number of confidentiality agreements.”
Font’s other partners, Brad Stansfield and Becher Townsend, are both registered lobbyists.

Mr Stansfield was previously a chief of staff to Mr Hodgman and has taken leave from Font to run Liberal Party election campaigns in Tasmania and interstate.

‘Inappropriate appointment’

Independent MP Meg Webb said the arrangement with Font PR was “just another example of the sort of murky arrangements in this state that the Tasmanian people have had enough of”.

“The Tasmanian community expects integrity and transparency from government, they don’t expect special deals for mates, they don’t expect there to be too close a relationship between government and private PR firms and the like,” she said.

“This is an inappropriate appointment from the government and they really should have thought about this and delivered more integrity in making this decision.”