Another big stink for BER bureaucrats

They are also partners in a private company that delivered a heavily flawed $30 million waste facility in north Queensland.

Top Building the Education Revolution NSW bureaucrat Bob Leece and Rebecca Wark, who is in charge of overseeing the scheme in northern NSW, the most trouble-prone BER region in the country, are the sole directors of private "waste management" group EWT.

That company installed a $30m waste management plant in Cairns in 2003 that was dubbed "the big stink" and "the stinker" by local media after it was plagued with operational problems over several years.

Ms Wark became the general manager and a director of EWT in 2004 while Mr Leece has been a director of the group since 1998.

During the plant's first year of operation, its Bedminster rubbish digesters repeatedly crashed and two were placed "out of commission indefinitely".

The Environmental Protection Agency ordered the plant to reduce odour pollution following problems with biofilters, which had to be repaired at a cost of $100,000, and the Cairns City Council issued the operating company with a "performance breach" based on contractual issues.

After repeated public stoushes with the Cairns City Council, and ongoing operational problems, EWT in 2006 sold the plant to another private operator for $5m. Cairns ratepayers were subsequently slugged with a $550,000 rate increase to cover extra costs of running the troubled plant.

In February this year, the plant was again rendered inoperable after a large section of suspended concrete collapsed. It remains out of action.

Mr Leece and Ms Wark are the company's only directors and both own shares in EWT.

Ms Wark said she was no longer employed by EWT.

Ms Wark is currently being paid $380,000 a year -- $1600 a day -- in her role as BER regional program director for the North Coast and New England region.

That region, where managing contractor the Reed Group is charging fees of 21 per cent on each building delivered, has been the most trouble-plagued in the country under the BER, with 60 buildings having to be repaired because of shoddy work.

According to NSW Education Department spokesman Mark Davis, the positions of regional program directors were "competitively tendered"; however, Ms Wark's position was not.

Ms Wark had been "selected by interview" for the position of assistant regional program director in May last year, then "appointed" to the higher role of regional program director in June this year.

Mr Leece was appointed as NSW infrastructure director-general to oversee delivery of the BER in February last year.

Mr Leece said Ms Wark was contracted by the NSW Department of Education "without any reference of involvement" from Mr Leece.

The NSW Education Department said Ms Wark had been "selected for interview" to the assistant's job by Brian Adams, the then delivery director of the education department's integrated program office.

A spokesman for Mr Davis refused to comment on why the position of regional program director had become vacant. He said the department was "very satisfied" with Ms Wark's work.

Mr Davis said Ms Wark's rate of pay did not change following the promotion and the rate of $1600 a day had "not changed since February 2008".

He said Ms Wark had had "a number of public sector appointments . . . since 2007".

Ms Wark declined to comment directly.