The NSW Police Commissioner has advertised for what will be her sixth spin doctor in just two years after the last person to hold the job was dumped before he even started.
Commissioner Karen Webb could have a fourth Executive Director of Public Affairs in just three months after Liz Deegan was ousted from the position on March 13.
Her departure came after Commissioner Webb was heavily criticised for her comments during the investigation into the deaths of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies, who were allegedly murdered by serving police officer Beau Lamarre-Condon.
After Ms Deegan – who had been in the role for less than a year – was gone, she was replaced by controversial former Channel Seven journalist Steve Jackson.
But Jackson didn’t even get to sit behind the desk before his job offer was withdrawn after intense publicity surrounding his role in a bizarre saga involving another former Seven producer, Taylor Auerbach and Bruce Lehrmann.
After Jackson was deemed surplus to requirements, Adam Wallace was seconded from the NSW Health Department in an acting role to advise Commissioner Webb about her dealings with the media.
Before she faced criticism over the alleged murders of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies, her comments around the alleged Taser death of 95-year-old great-grandmother Clare Nowland in May 2023 were also met with disbelief.
The commissioner was slammed at the time for refusing to view bodycam footage of dementia sufferer Ms Nowland being Tasered by Senior Constable Kristian White at a Cooma aged care home.
‘I don’t see any value in reviewing that footage now when I don’t know… what else happened pre and post that incident,’ she said.
In February, Commissioner Webb – who had just finished a brutal interview with Natalie Barr where she brushed off concerns about her leadership by quoting Taylor Swift’s line ‘haters gonna hate’ – then reportedly refused to walk outside.
‘If you want any indication of a police commissioner under siege, Karen Webb stayed in the Sunrise studio for up to 10 minutes today, refusing to leave, saying she would not be ambushed by our crew,’ reporter Robert Ovadia claimed.
In April, there were calls for a review of NSW senior public servants’ pay after it was revealed the dismissal of a string of top media advisers for the nation’s largest police force has cost taxpayers more than $700,000.
Commissioner Webb’s decision to part ways with four previous chief media advisers in just two years had led to termination payments of $687,613, and then Jackson was reported to have left with $30,000 despite not having done a day’s work.
The job for the position some say has become a poisoned chalice says ‘The executive director … leads the delivery of public affairs strategies and programs to enhance and protect the reputation of the NSWPF and create a positive operating environment.’
The successful candidate will get a $330,000 package and the option of a car.