We don't care about Peter Hurst

Friday last week marked 1500 days since Wagga Wagga developer Peter Hurst reneged on an agreement to apologise to two of our members.

He had made allegations to Wagga Wagga City Council which he couldn’t sustain. We described them in the November 2010 issue as “inaccurate, baseless, derogatory and offensive allegations” and they had been dismissed by the Council’s Internal Auditor after a comprehensive investigation.

The Industrial Relations Commission had recommended that the Council seek an apology from Mr Hurst and in response to the Council, Walsh and Blair lawyers advised they were acting for Peter Hurst and “we are instructed that our client will apologise to Council staff. The form of an apology will have to be the subject of agreement.”

That was pretty impressive. We all make mistakes and it’s important to clear the air and apologise for things that happen inadvertently or where you have simply been wrong. Everyone agrees with this, it’s what our mums taught us, after all.

Well, nearly all of us – we can update you about Bankstown next time.

But we didn’t even get the opportunity to have a good old-fashioned argument about the content of the apology because Peter Hurst just reneged. No explanation, just changed his mind - obviously trying to redress the gender inequality of the traditional wisdom that only a lady had the prerogative to change their mind. You go, girl!

But we thought his agreement to apologise said a lot about the man. A big man, both literally and metaphorically, we thought.

Clearly he wasn’t, so we have run a clock ever since on our home page reminding everyone that some people are honourable, and some aren’t.
But 1500 days is enough. The clock will be removed.

It’s in the Minister’s office but nothing’s happening. It has been:

since the Government and the Minister were appointed on 5 April 2023. We are still waiting for the legislative changes required.

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