The New South Wales Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) is investigating the professional behavior of Gail Connolly, the former CEO of the City of Parramatta. The inquiry focuses on claims of unfair hiring practices and administrative misconduct.

新南威爾斯州獨立反貪委員會 (ICAC) 正在調查前 Parramatta 市執行長 Gail Connolly 的專業操守。該調查重點在於不公平招聘做法及行政不當行為的指控。

The investigation, known as Operation Navarra, examines whether Ms. Connolly and two associates—Roxanne Thornton and Angela Jones-Blayney—ignored official hiring rules to help each other. For example, evidence suggests that a witness signature on Ms. Connolly's contract may have been faked by Ms. Thornton, who later received an executive role at the council. Furthermore, the commission is looking into Ms. Connolly's actions during the 2023 appointment process, where she admitted to seeking private information about a competing candidate.

這次調查被稱為「Navarra 行動」，旨在檢查 Connolly 女士與兩位同事——Roxanne Thornton 及 Angela Jones-Blayney——是否無視官方招聘規定以互相協助。例如，證據顯示 Connolly 女士合約上的見證人簽名可能由 Thornton 女士偽造，而 Thornton 隨後在議會獲得了一個高階主管職位。此外，委員會正在調查 Connolly 女士在 2023 年任命過程中的行為，她承認曾試圖獲取競爭對手的私人資訊。

At the same time, the commission is investigating the firing of staff members who were seen as obstacles. A key focus is the departure of Bernadette Cavanagh, the Chief People and Culture Officer, in May 2023. Although Ms. Connolly claimed the exit was a professional resignation, the commission questioned why an acting officer remained in the role for eleven months. Consequently, Chief Commissioner John Hatzistergos has demanded clear answers regarding whether this was a redundancy or a mutual agreement.

與此同時，委員會正在調查被視為阻礙的員工被解雇的情況。其中一個重點是首席人力與文化長 Bernadette Cavanagh 於 2023 年 5 月離職一事。雖然 Connolly 女士聲稱該離職為專業辭職，但委員會質疑為何代理人員在該職位上留任了 11 個月。因此，首席專員 John Hatzistergos 要求針對此舉是裁員還是雙方協議提供明確答案。

Finally, the proceedings discussed Ms. Connolly's use of anonymous emails to report internal problems. Ms. Connolly admitted that she sent anonymous messages to the media and councillors about time sheet fraud involving a driver and a senior staff member. She testified that she took this unusual step because she felt the organization was not making progress and feared the information would be hidden after future elections.

最後，聆訊討論了 Connolly 女士使用匿名電子郵件舉報內部問題的情況。Connolly 女士承認，她曾向媒體和議員發送匿名訊息，舉報一名司機和一名高階職員涉及工時單舞弊。她作證稱，之所以採取這種不尋常的步驟，是因為她覺得組織沒有進展，並擔心資訊在下次選舉後會被掩蓋。

The ICAC inquiry is still ongoing, and Ms. Connolly is expected to provide more testimony after a short break in the proceedings.

ICAC 的調查仍在進行中，預計 Connolly 女士在聆訊短暫休息後將提供更多證詞。