A former Tasmanian health chief is seeking up to $2.2 million in damages, claiming the Tasmanian Government wrongfully terminated her contract. Jane Holden was sacked from her $416,000-per-year job in June 2014 and is now suing the Government for loss of income and damage to her reputation. The Supreme Court in Hobart heard Ms Holden began a five-year contract as chief executive of Southern Tasmania Area Health Service in 2012. She then took on the role of head of Tasmania Health Organisation (THO) South when it was formed in July 2012, replacing the Southern Tasmania Area Health Service. The court heard Ms Holden blamed her sacking on allegations made against her, including nepotism and mismanagement, in an Integrity Commission report released earlier that year and not operational reasons as cited by the State Government. In opening statements, her barrister Mark Rinaldi told the court that Ms Holden was dismissed using a clause in the contract which in effect made it a redundancy, but Mr Rinaldi described it as “phoney”. He argued that Ms Holden was appointed chief executive of THO South when her employment was transferred despite a new contract not being signed. He said the Southern Tasmania Area Health Service no longer existed, therefore her role was chief executive of THO South and as such the position was still required. “We say it’s painfully obvious, the real reason the state decided it didn’t want Ms Holden in the role of chief executive of THO South was because of matters raised by the Integrity Commission report,” he said. The court heard Ms Holden has struggled to find employment at an equivalent level and had only just secured a role at a hospital in Papua New Guinea. Lawyer Paul Turner, appearing on behalf of the State Government, told the court Ms Holden’s position had not been terminated because of the Integrity Commission report. He said no new contract had been entered into and in June 2014 Ms Holden was stood down because her substantive position as Southern Tasmania Area Health Service chief executive was abolished and another suitable role could not be found. “She has no entitlement,” Mr Turner told the court.
