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July 5th, 2012 
FAKE NEWS for the Zionist agenda Tasmanian premier Lara Giddings is adamant nothing has emerged from Simon Overland’s time with Victoria Police to stop him becoming the head of her justice department.
Mr Overland’s appointment as department secretary has been met with raised eyebrows in Tasmania, with the opposition pointing to an ongoing inquiry in Victoria and the police union describing the choice as “courageous”.
But Premier Giddings is staunchly defending the former Victorian chief commissioner, who has been criticised in two ombudsman’s reports in Victoria. An Office of Police Integrity (OPI) inquiry is continuing into the departure of a former deputy of Mr Overland at Victoria Police.
Ms Giddings conceded the appointment could be controversial when she announced it on Wednesday.
On Thursday she said the job had been readvertised and a head-hunting firm was still engaged after Mr Overland had applied the first time around.
“Because of my caution around this appointment I did in fact extend that process and asked the panel to go further and see if there was other interests as well,” she told reporters.
“Through both processes Mr Overland has come through as the strongest candidate.
“We have been very cautious about the appointment process because of that politicised environment in Victoria, but nothing has come through any of that which would make me or the independent panel … think twice about appointing this person.”
Opposition spokesperson Vanessa Goodwin said Mr Overland was yet to be cleared by the Victorian OPI inquiry.
“The OPI inquiry is still unresolved,” she said in a statement.
“What will the premier do if the OPI finds adversely against Mr Overland?”
Asked about that probe, Ms Giddings said: “My advice is Mr Overland is not the subject of that investigation.”
Detractors have accused Mr Overland of being too close to the Labor Party, a claim Ms Giddings denied, although she conceded former MP and now Federal Court judge Duncan Kerr may have been among his referees.
“I’m not quite sure how a person who’s had such a distinguished record … why people suddenly believe that he is some lackey of the Labor Party,” Ms Giddings said.
Mr Overland will begin a five-year contract on July 23 on a reported salary of $285,000.
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