Eco Arts Minister Speeches – rinse and repeat

Queensland Arts Minister not responsible for sacking over speech she wasn’t responsible for plagiarising. Confused?

It was Queensland Arts Minister, Ros Bates’ maiden speech, however it wasn’t her speech’s maiden voyage. The four minute speech read by Ms Bates in her first address to parliament on 17 May was mere words away from the exact speech made by her predecessor, Rachel Nolan less than six months ago in November 2011.

The red faced Minister said in her defence that she didn’t write the speech and it was in fact senior staffers who were responsible for the blunder. Twenty-four hours later Shane Rowlands, Deputy General for the Arts Department had been fired – apparently Rowlands is responsible for the plagiarism – and in a statement made during question time, Ms Bates made it clear that she wasn’t the one responsible for the sacking, it was her department’s Director General, after consulting Crown Law, who showed Ms Rowland’s the door.

Now is everyone straight on what the Arts Minister isn’t responsible for?