Poor performance led to the sacking of a home insulation program adviser rather than any attempt he made to expose safety flaws, his then director says.
Technical expert Dr Troy Delbridge has told a royal commission he was bullied and eventually sacked from the federal environment department for revealing safety risks in the Labor stimulus scheme.
But then acting branch head, Aaron Hughes, says he can't recall Dr Delbridge raising safety issues.
Mr Hughes said the adviser's one-year contract was terminated after four months after reports of various performance issues.
Dr Delbridge was regularly late to work, took unauthorised travel interstate, wore cycling clothes around the office and had failed to meet performance requirements, he said.
Dr Delbridge's termination letter stated his services were no longer required due to "changed work requirements".
He claims he received the letter about 20 minutes after he laid out all his safety concerns with Mr Hughes in a meeting in late July, 2009.
But under cross-examination by Counsel Assisting Keith Wilson, QC, Mr Hughes was adamant Dr Delbridge never mentioned safety in the meeting.
"Did he tell you he had concerns about unsafe work practices of people doing work under the program?" Mr Wilson said.
"No," he replied, adding he was certain.
Mr Hughes said the meeting was about Dr Delbridge's working relationship with environment department senior bureaucrat Will Kimber.
"He was upset about the treatment he had received from Mr Kimber," Mr Hughes said.
The inquiry has been shown emails Dr Delbridge wrote to superiors which stated he had been subject to a campaign of intimidation and harassment by Mr Kimber.
Commonwealth lawyer Tom Howe, QC, has argued Dr Delbridge's evidence can't be trusted because he failed to flag any safety concerns in those emails.
The Rudd government stimulus has been blamed for the deaths of four young men, one serious injury and more than 200 house fires.
The inquiry continues.
Share
