Wednesday 15 August 2012

Courage

This takes real courage.

Everyone in Toowoomba (including Napoleon's minions) knows the identity of this person.

It takes real guts to speak out, especially when you're a member of the SES*, and your contract can be terminated at short notice. I hope he/she is still in the job next Monday. I suppose being told you have to decide which of your hard working staff are going to be given DCMs+ to keep a dodgy election promise takes its toll.

If I were Kerry Shine, I'd be eying the next state poll with optimism. If I had a dollar for every local who's told me they voted LNP and are now regretting it, I'd be shouting the bar past midnight.

The closing of the local low security facility has shaken Toowoomba local  government to its foundations. The new government has broken all records for making enemies swiftly in this part of the world.

It's not only the sackings that are causing outrage, but the fact that before the election, solemn undertakings were given which it turns out weren't worth a pinch of the proverbial.

The phenomenon of an SES member speaking out is interesting. The whole purpose behind creating a Senior Executive Service was to muzzle senior public servants. If you're on a contract that entitles you to a tax-free executive luxury vehicle, free parking in the CBD, membership of a range of professional organisations with benefits such as international travel, and a range of specific confidential perks that you negotiate individually, and you know that contract can be terminated on two week's notice, you tend to open your mouth with great circumspection.

You also tell your minister what he/she wants to hear.

In one fell swoop, the creation of the SES destroyed the tradition of  frank and fearless advice given by senior public servants.

If the LNP in Queensland were fair dinkum about saving millions (over time billions) in public service expenditure, they'd terminate the SES, and place all staff employed on contract on permanency, removing all the obscenely expensive perks.

They won't off course, as that would diminish their capacity to control them.

While they're at it, they could make Longreach the administrative capital of Queensland (the most decentralised state in the nation), a move that would keep faith with the regions and keep the rural and remote constituency content.

Longreach - geographical centre of Queensland

It would probably also lead to better government, as all the D-Gs would have to move to outback Queensland.


It will never happen. This mob are transfixed by Tea-Party inspired notions of small government, wear tin-foil hats, have partaken of the Koolaid and believe that the earth is flat.

God help Queensland.

* Senior Executive Service
+ Don't come Monday




6 comments:

Anonymous said...

You are probably lucky you are not teaching any more Bob, or you might have found your key board running red hot and yourself with lots of time on your hands to press the keys.

1735099 said...

Hate to prick your bubble, but I am still teaching.
BTW, blogging etiquette requires that you use my tag. If you want a run, you'll need to observe it.

cav said...

You should send this to your mate Andrew Bolt - I'm sure he will take up the cause.

1735099 said...

You've got to be kidding.....

cav said...

Well he hates liars - especially politicians that say one thing before the election and than do the opposite when elected.

It would test his moral compass - does it makes any difference to him whether it left or right involved.

1735099 said...

Cav
For someone who hates liars, he must operate from the premise "do as I say, not as I do".
If you read Blomberg's judgement - http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/cases/cth/FCA/2011/1103.html
you'll note that he wrote lies about the respondents in that case. If you were charitable you'd call them "errors in fact".
I'm not charitable.

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