It started with a seemingly innocuous question. Over the course of several months, Madeleine Ogilvie had many opportunities to provide clarification, but didn't until last week. Then the end came quickly.
Madeleine Ogilvie, an energetic media performer whose portfolios have had more than their fair share of scandals, will move to the backbench. From the moment she made the admission on Thursday that she had initiated a Supreme Court proceeding — months after telling a parliamentary committee she was not the subject of or a party to any Supreme Court matters — the writing seemed to be on the wall.
The Clark MP had allowed an incorrect statement — or at least one that omitted the full truth — to sit on the public record for too long to be put to bed with a quick correction. Most allegations that a government minister has misled parliament are met with a full-throated defence. When the ABC contacted Ms Ogilvie's office for comment, a spokesperson only referred back to her comments in parliament.
At Friday's media opportunity, Health Minister Bridget Archer did not make a staunch defence of her colleague. Health Minister Bridget Archer did not leap to the defence of her colleague Madeleine Ogilvie when asked about the issue. Not that Labor needed much convincing — Leader of Opposition Business Ella Haddad agreed on the day that Ms Ogilvie had misled parliament.
There's no love lost between the current and former Labor Members for Clark . There wasn't a campaign in parliament's corridors, nor the slow realisation mid-debate that the numbers were going the wrong way. Ms Ogilvie simply looked at the case for her having misled, and determined it was best she leave her post.
Did Ms Ogilvie really want to face a full week of questions about this? Okay. And so, in the past 18 months, have you as an individual — either a minister or a member — been a subject or a party to any Supreme Court matters?
"I would like to add to an answer I gave yesterday. I have not been the subject of legal proceedings initiated by another party.
However, I reserve my right to take any action or steps I deem necessary to protect my legal rights at any time.
" It was also missing a fairly crucial piece of information — that Ms Ogilvie had started court action herself. Confusingly, this clarification was submitted in a House of Assembly estimates hearing — a different committee from the one told that she was not involved in any court action. It was also tabled on a sheet of paper rather than spoken out loud and written into Hansard, meaning all MPs and the media seemingly missed it.
Unaware of that clarification, the Greens did not ask whether Ms Ogilvie was involved in court action again until May 21. In budget estimates on 17 November last year, the Greens asked you if you had been a subject or party to any Supreme Court matters in the previous 18 months. Your answer was a simple "no". Do you stand by that statement, or is there any kind of correction you would like to make?
I know you've been pursuing the question of legal fees across a range of fronts for a long time. If you would like to ask me anything to do with those, I'm very happy to receive a letter from you. That's perhaps a better way if you're seeking particular detail. In relation to legal fees, they've all been transparently tabled and processes are always followed.
It's unclear why Ms Ogilvie did not clarify her response in a way that would have drawn more attention. It's unclear why Ms Ogilvie did not reference her court action, or her clarification when asked in parliament last week. They say it was a deliberate attempt to mislead. Ms Ogilvie says she "disagrees with the Greens characterisation of my intent in answering their questions", but recognises her original answer was poor.
Ms Ogilvie is known to be ambitious and appears to love the spotlight. She may look to the former deputy premier, Michael Ferguson, for advice. Aside from speaking out about the government's lack of action on pokies, he's been the model backbencher. Could it be Roger Jaensch, who lost his ministries in last year's post-state election reshuffle?
What this resignation does not do, however, is dispel the interest in Ms Ogilvie's legal fees. Taxpayers will still be footing the bill for the action , but will be none the wiser as to why she started it. The Greens might have claimed a victory here, and are unlikely to let the matter rest.
Other government MPs with legal fees paid for by the public — Jane Howlett and Mark Shelton — might also face a renewed campaign from Dr Woodruff and co.
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