A senior Parramatta council executive has broken down in tears after four days of questioning by the NSW corruption watchdog.
Roxanne Thornton has told the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) about how she manipulated the recruitment process at the council to secure jobs for friends and associates.
Ms Thornton was hired as chief governance and risk officer at City of Parramatta Council shortly after former chief executive officer Gail Connolly got the top job.
By February 2024, she had moved into the new more senior role of group manager, Office of the Lord Mayor and CEO.
The two women and others were part of a group which called themselves the “Pink Ladies”.
It comprised of a network of women who had previously worked with each other at several Sydney councils.
Ms Thornton previously told the commission she sent interview questions and their model answers in advance of interviews, edited CVs and cover letters for friends and, in one case, ensured a salary bump in an offer letter made to a candidate once they were successful in the interview process.
She told the commission on Monday that her inability to trust people motivated her to recruit those she already knew and had worked with before.
Ms Thornton repeatedly told the commission that Ms Connolly was unaware of her hiring practices.
‘You just keep kicking me’
A number of women working at Parramatta council will face questions at ICAC hearings. (ABC News: Warwick Ford)
Arthur Moses SC, the lawyer representing Parramatta council, on Tuesday asked Ms Thornton if she accepted her personal difficulty trusting people was not an excuse for her breaching her obligations to the council.
She sobbed as she answered, “Yes.”
“I’ve admitted to everything, but this public shaming … you should all be f***ing ashamed of yourselves,” she said.
“You just keep kicking me. I know I’m gonna lose my job. I’ve done the wrong thing.
“There’s people watching that are gonna get heaps of joy out of this. F***ing good times.
“I’ve admitted to everything. You’ve had me here for four days.”
Chief Commissioner John Hatzistergos asked if she needed a break.
Parramatta ICAC inquiry continues
When Ms Thornton said “no”, he told her: “Just sit there and just listen to the questions and then respond please.”
When Mr Moses repeated the commissioner’s offer for a break, Ms Thornton responded: “Just keep laying the boot in.”
She has since been excused, but Commissioner Hatzistergos has not fully discharged her from her summons, meaning she could be called back to the witness stand at a later point in time.
Ms Thornton admitted to undermining the recruitment process to favour Anna Svorinic, Marina Cavar and Heidi Wenham, who are set to give testimony before the commission later on Tuesday.