Stressed MP Greg Pearce fit enough to sidestep the issues Minister for the Illawarra Greg Pearce gives his first press conference after one month stress leave / Pic: Ross Schultz Source: The Daily Telegraph HE said he was "fit" and "excited" but minister Greg Pearce stormed out of a press conference on his first day back from a month's stress leave - after evading more questions than he answered. The Minister for Finance and the Illawarra, who was escorted from parliament drunk six weeks ago, refused to say if he was still drinking, argued jobs-for-the-boys claims were "erroneous interpretations" and said "there is no conflict of interest" to his handling of car green slip reform. In a press conference at which he claimed the government "prides itself on accountability, on transparency," he refused to say why Premier Barry O'Farrell had given the job or green slip reform to Disability Services Minister Andrew Constance. The Premier's move, before Mr Pearce's return to work, came after revelations that Liberal powerbroker Michael Photios' lobbying firm PremierState had lobbied the minister's office to do a good deal for insurers on the reforms. And Mr Pearce refused to say why he thought it was appropriate to take hospitality at the Melbourne Cup from Suncorp - a PremierState client.Having chosen Port Kembla for his first public appearance since returning from stress leave, Mr Pearce at first said he was "very pleased to have a Sydney journalist here." But by the end, he was refusing to take questions from anyone other than Illawarra journalists. "I don't want the press conference taken over by someone from Sydney," Mr Pearce remarked. Asked by Illawarra reporters over whether his private trip to Canberra to attend Mr Photios' function, booked to the taxpayer, should be referred to ICAC, he said anybody had the power to make a referral.It was the controversy over that trip and the head of the Premier's Department's finding that Mr Pearce had misused travel entitlements that forced the Premier to order stress leave. That was a fortnight after Mr Pearce was drunk in parliament and received a final warning from the Premier. Mr Pearce confirmed he was drinking but that he was exhausted and had flu."I am fit and well and I'm very pleased that you're concerned about my welfare," he said yesterday. Yes, I did work myself to the point of exhaustion ... I'm feeling very fit now and I'm feeling very privileged to be here as the Minister for the Illawarra."He refused to address Daily Telegraph revelations that he hired his personal secretary's husband, Kim Garling, to a $300,000-a-year government job as head of the WorkCover Independent Review Office and that Mr Garling had then hired Mr Pearce's chief of staff's partner as his acting IT director, except to say the reports had "erroneous interpretations."There is no suggestion the appointments were made without merit. Finally, he said: "Are there any other questions from local media? I do have to wander off. As he walked away, he said: "Thanks very much, we'll see you as often as we can."