Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley has indicated that he is not inclined to publicly disclose the salary of a Special Advisor he intends to make his Chief of Staff, telling reporters he must first review government policy before deciding whether such information can be released.
The issue arose during a press conference when the Premier was asked about the compensation for his chief of staff and whether the position had been advertised.
Clarification was also sought once again on the salary of the government’s recently announced climate change envoy, Dr Kedrick Pickering.
In response, Dr Wheatley said he was not prepared to immediately share salary details and would need to consult the relevant policy governing the disclosure of such information.
“Let me say, as it pertains to advertising what persons make, I’m not really in the business of doing that,” the Premier stated. “I have to consult the policy. We did pass a policy, and the policy may speak about something to do with that.”
“Let me consult the policy and what it says about advertising salaries and whatnot,” Dr Wheatley added while commenting that he found it interesting that people often show significant interest in the earnings of public officials.
Pressed further on the issue, the Premier argued that there may be limits on what salary information can be publicly disclosed, even when the funds come from the public purse.
“If I’m privy to information from someone’s human resources, am I at liberty to share it with the world?” he asked. “Persons do have constitutional rights to a certain level of privacy, and I don’t think, even if public money pays for it, that I’m at liberty to give the details of what public money pays for.”
Dr Wheatley explained that he would review the policy framework and ensure that any disclosure complies with established guidelines.
“The policy, I think, might stipulate even where that information is shared and how it’s shared,” he said. “So let me just remind myself of what the policy says, and then we’ll abide by whatever the policy says.”
During the exchange, the Premier also confirmed that an individual currently serving in an advisory capacity is expected to transition into the role of chief of staff.
The Premier further indicated that the government policy had previously allowed the Office of the Premier to appoint up to three special advisors, and that the new chief of staff arrangement is connected to policies approved by Cabinet.
He later confirmed that former House of Assembly Speaker Julian Willock is expected to serve as a special advisor to his office, though a formal contract had not yet been finalised at the time of the press conference.
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