http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/11/26/3076929.htm?site=news
Cookie crumbles for Australian health bureaucrat
An incident involving a cookie has caused a top Australian health bureaucrat to lose his job fixing the Alberta Health System in Canada.
Stephen Duckett was hired last year to reduce Alberta’s long hospital waiting lists, but when he was doorstopped by journalists a few days ago he did not want to talk about the problem.
“Isn’t it ridiculous that the media are not prepared to go to the media scrum, and I’m eating my cookie,” he said.
When one journalist said: “I think people are interested in hearing from you sir”, Dr Duckett replied: “I’m interested in eating my cookie”.
Footage of the encounter in which Dr Ducket repeatedly uses the cookie reply has gone viral on the internet.
He apologised the next day, but the Alberta Heath Services Board has since announced his departure, saying there was mutual agreement it was time for him to move on.
Dr Duckett was previously in charge of fixing Queensland’s health system and has been secretary of the Australian Health Department.
And the video of the incident; I’m figuring that the whole “cookie incident” doesn’t really have much of anything to do with his leaving, unless he’s just tired of being pestered by rude reporters.
