Reprinted from Danial Hurst, Brisbane Times, November 12, 2012

UPDATED

For the second time in a week, Queensland Housing and Public Works Minister Bruce Flegg has dumped a senior staffer.

The second – his senior media adviser – is planning to fight back tomorrow morning at a press conference designed to tell why his boss shouldn’t be minister.

The major overhaul in the minister’s office poses a political headache for the Newman government on the eve of the second last parliamentary sitting week of the year.

Earlier, the Newman government confirmed Dr Flegg had dumped chief of staff Fraser Stephen on Thursday, but the circumstances remained a mystery.

Now Dr Flegg’s senior media adviser Graeme Hallett says he has also been sacked.

Mr Hallet, who has served in the role since shortly after the March election, said he would front the media on Tuesday morning to discuss “aspects of Dr Flegg’s behaviour that makes him not fit to be a minister”.

He was reluctant to explain publicly the nature of the information he would disclose. It is understood documents may be released.

The media conference will occur just an hour before the opening of Parliament for the year.

Comment is being sought directly from Dr Flegg. LNP MPs are currently in a party room meeting at Parliament House.

Earlier, a spokesman from Premier Campbell Newman’s media unit said Dr Flegg had lost confidence in his top political adviser, Mr Stephen, who left his position as chief of staff on Thursday.

He said Mr Stephen’s job was “terminated” but would not disclose the reasons.

Dr Flegg refused to elaborate when asked about the matter outside the weekly cabinet meeting this morning.

“Well, I don’t think you talk about people’s personal and private things publicly like that,” he said, according to a transcript provided by Seven News.

Mr Stephen, a former staffer to LNP senator Russell Trood, is not the first chief of staff to depart from Newman government ministerial offices.

In June, Tourism Minister Jann Stuckey confirmed the departure of her chief of staff, Mike D’Arcy, a former TV journalist and ex-LNP media adviser.

The government media unit spokesman today issued a one-line statement about Mr Stephen’s exit.

“The minister lost confidence in his chief of staff who left the office on Thursday,” he said.

It is understood the departure was immediate.

Chiefs of staff serve in ministerial offices, overseeing cabinet members’ policy and media advisers.

By contrast, directors general are public servants in charge of the running of each department.

Mr Stephen has been largely behind the scenes and has rarely appeared in news stories.

Early this month, however, it emerged Dr Flegg’s lobbyist son, Jonathon Flegg, had contacted Mr Stephen in June to arrange meetings. Dr Flegg’s spokesman said the meetings did not proceed and the minister had ordered his staff not to allow his son to lobby his office.