WA Liberal leader David Honey hires ex-Court man Jack Gilleece who resigned in disgrace in 1999

WA Liberal leader David Honey has recruited ex-premier Richard Court’s former right hand man — 22 years after he quit government in disgrace over outside business dealings. Jack Gilleece resigned as executive director of the Department of Premier and Cabinet in 1999 after it emerged he had a conflict of interest in conducting media work for seven Perth firms. A top-level inquiry conducted after his resignation found he earnt $46,000 moonlighting for private companies while being paid $144,000 a year in his government job. He also made significant use of government phones, faxes and computers and an office car to conduct the outside work. The inquiry found no evidence that Mr Gilleece passed on confidential information to the companies and Mr Court denied any prior knowledge of his former adviser’s business dealings. Mr Honey was last month elected unopposed as the new WA Liberal leader after the party was reduced to two Lower House MPs at the State election. In one of his first staff appointments since becoming leader, the Cottesloe MP hired Mr Gilleece as a media consultant in the Liberals’ parliamentary office. “He’ll be working as an adviser to me and I believe he’ll do that role well,” Mr Honey said. He said there was “no risk” of a repeat of the controversy that led to Mr Gilleece’s resignation. “He’s not working full-time for us,” Mr Honey said. “In this case, he’s being employed as a consultant providing advice.” The Liberal leader said Mr Gilleece had spent the past two decades working in the corporate world. “I think he’s got strong political acumen and has some strong experience in the corporate world since he’s left politics,” Mr Honey said. It comes as the Liberals are set to sign an agreement today to form an alliance partnership with Nationals WA in Opposition for the next four years. The parties ruled out a coalition like their counterparts in Canberra because the Nationals wanted to maintain their independence. Portfolios will be shared after the Liberals were left with just nine MPs and the Nationals with seven after Labor’s historic landslide election victory last month. Convention dictates the non-government party with the most MPs in the Lower House, in this case the Nationals, becomes the official Opposition. Mia Davies was this week re-elected unopposed as Nationals leader, a formality that made her the Oppo-sition leader.