Yes Minister

Today's Courier Mail has an interesting piece about the relationship between senior public servants and government.

It's relevant in Queensland at the moment given the imbroglio involving Caltabiano and his minister, although there's an element of internecine LNP grudge politics behind it.

I've had close contacts with plenty of senior public servants over the years (including my brother who retired as a Deputy DG).

He got booted sideways once because he told his minister something she didn't want to hear.

From my personal observation, the effectiveness and efficiency of government agencies has gone downhill since the development of the Senior Executive Service.

This is particularly the case with Queensland Health.

Bottom line is, self-interest will always trump honesty (except for aberrations like my brother), so SES personnel will always tell the pollies what they want to hear.

From the linked article -   

But the biggest problem with this change from Westminster-style administration, which has career public servants providing "frank and fearless advice", to something closer to the US system of making political appointments to senior posts is that, in the words of political analyst Scott Prasser, "governments get the advice they want rather than the advice they need".

Ain't it so.....