Vic: Nixon considered Foster's before Black Saturday anniversary

AAP General News (Australia)
04-16-2010
Vic: Nixon considered Foster's before Black Saturday anniversary

MELBOURNE, April 16 AAP - Embattled bushfire recovery chair Christine Nixon considered
accepting a Foster's board appointment before the first anniversary of Black Saturday.

But Victorian Premier John Brumby urged her to delay accepting the plush non-executive
corporate director position until the anniversary passed and she had completed more of
her reconstruction work in devastated communities.

Mr Brumby says he felt it was more appropriate for Ms Nixon to accept a paid corporate
role after the first anniversary of Australia's most devastating bushfires, which killed
173 people, had passed.

"She raised it with me. I suggested that she delay taking that position," he told ABC
Radio on Friday.

"I wanted it deferred until the new plans had been put in place and agreed across the
reconstruction areas."

Ms Nixon had been approached to take the board position with the brewer winemaker in
early 2010, he said.

At that point, Ms Nixon had not even completed half of her two-year government contract
as head of the Victorian Bushfire Reconstruction and Recovery Authority.

Foster's Group announced her board appointment on April 1.

Mr Brumby said he hoped 99 per cent of Ms Nixon's reconstruction efforts are completed
by the second anniversary of the February 7 2009 fires.

Bushfire survivors are now divided on their views of Ms Nixon, Victoria's chief police
commissioner at the time of the Black Saturday fires, after her contradictory testimony
before the Teague royal commission into the devastating bushfires.

She has admitted she spent three crucial hours, as the fires raged, at a pub over dinner
with friends and had no contact with emergency services during that time.

She kept her dinner reservation despite being told minutes earlier that the fires would
likely be devastating and kill people.

Ms Nixon has defended her actions, saying her management style is to always appoint
others into key roles and delegate responsibility, which she did during the fires.

Mr Brumby has maintained that despite some bushfire survivors being furious at the
revelations, Ms Nixon will not be sacked from her role as chair of the Victorian Bushfire
Reconstruction and Recovery Authority (VBRRA).

"I acknowledge there is strongly held views in the community but I think the work of
the authority, the work that she does, is too important at this stage," he said on Friday.

"I've supported her continuing in her role despite the fact she made an error of judgment
last year."

It's believed Ms Nixon left Melbourne on Thursday to escape the recent negative publicity.

AAP sbl/ce/cjb/cdh

KEYWORD: BUSHFIRES NIXON

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