The ACT Supreme Court.  The ACT Supreme Court. Photo: Graham
Tidy  A sacked public servant has lost a defamation case for
$505,448 against a human-resources director he said was
responsible for his long-term unemployment.  Anthony Albert
Twining was an executive assistant at the Australian Public
Service Commission for five months in 2004 until he was sacked
because he could not cope with the workload and had not met
required standards of behaviour.  Mr Twining failed to land a
job at Treasury in 2005 and applied for work with law firms
unsuccessfully.  He has been jobless since and now undertakes
volunteer work in NSW.  He launched the case in the ACT Supreme
Court, claiming three statements made by Jacqueline Anne Curtis
during his employment at the commission were behind his failure
to find a job since leaving the public service.  Mr Twining
alleged Ms Curtis had told his boss he had ''commented
inappropriately'' to another employee about getting the job.  He
also claimed Ms Curtis said he had a record of