- August 24, 2026
- 12:48 pm
Scott Cairns commenced as CEO of the Mindarie Regional Council in 2021. On 27 January 2026 he resigned, finishing up on 24 April.
Four days later, he was back.
On 28 April, MRC commenced a six-month engagement with Cairns’ CEO Advisory Services, with an estimated value of $240,000 (ex GST).
The procurement was made under the Unique Goods or Services exemption, allowing a direct engagement without a competitive process.
According to answers given at the 23 July 2026 Council meeting, the decision was made by the temporary CEO at the time.
Because the estimated value sat under the threshold requiring a Council decision, the engagement did not need elected-member approval. It was later reported as one of fifteen exempt procurement decisions.
As an outsider, I may find it a surprising sequence of events, but to be clear, I am not alleging anything improper.
But for a public organisation entering a $240,000 engagement with its recently departed CEO only four days after he left the role, it is entirely reasonable for ratepayers to know:
Why the knowledge was judged so unique that no competitive process was requiredExactly which projects needed this continuityWhat has been delivered for the money spentHow the MRC found itself paying a former CEO as a consultant at the same time it was employing a full-time CEOIn the meantime, we’ll chalk this one up as another lesson in waste management:
Reduce. Reuse. Recycle your CEO.