Ethics courses? Yes, and there is a Code of Conduct but these are only as good as the people in management who apply those standards in any complaint managing process.

This is not about bashing the PS only about how it can be improved. Squeers is absolutely right about distinguishing between profit motives and service provision under the umbrella of government services (as paid by taxpayers). Not all services, especially essential services, benefit from private involvement.

It is underfunded because it is just too big.Stop feeding this monster than is stealing our freedoms and lowering our living standards.Public Servants know how to work don't they? Well they can find jobs in private enterprise.

*How you can have an "efficient" service devoted to excellence that is maximally raped for its profit, is beyond me.*

Squeers, I think that you massively overestimate the amount of
actual profit made by many businesses. In many its down to 5%
of turnover.

Far more then that can be saved by simple basic time motion
studies, and systems studies of how people do things. We've
all seen 5 council workers standing around a hole whilst one
actually digs it. etc.

There can be waste in any business, often its just about working
smarter, not harder. Competition simply reminds us that we live
in the real world. All those people staring out of windows watching
the cars going by, are a cost to somebody.

There have been some interesting studies done, about how much
time people actually really spend working at work. Take out the
time on the internet, the time spent on private affairs and all the
rest, some actually don't do a great deal of real work at all.
But they are extremely good at looking busy when the boss is around.

All that waste is at somebody's cost, even if its the taxpayer.

Yabby,
I can't argue with some of your criticism of inefficiencies, but it's not peculiar to the public sector. Just as you say profit margins are often small, but the margins of inefficiency in public-owned industries are not as grotesque as they're often represented by privateers either. I do not believe that the only way to make a business efficient is to expose it to competition, nor that competition necessarily drives efficiency; you can't call the obscene corporate salaries and bonuses and perks and tax breaks and government largesse to attract big business "efficient". Indeed it is grossly inefficient and inflationary and destructive and unsustainable in every way.
In my opinion the whole vast private enterprise sector is at a precipice with competition gone mad and marketing going from hyperbolic to hysterical as the internet age takes over and jaded consumers sicken with their consumptive lifestyles.
In my opinion there may well be a renaissance of publicly-owned and not for profit industries in the not to distant. Even whole communities established on an ethos of sustainable, fulfilling and modest lives--I'd move there!

*Even whole communities established on an ethos of sustainable, fulfilling and modest lives--I'd move there!*

But it already exists, Squeers. Cuba. Only its perhaps not
the perfect nirvana after all, as a whole new set of problems
are created, the law of unintended consequences is never far
away.

"Even whole communities established on an ethos of sustainable, fulfilling and modest lives--I'd move there!"

Me too Squeers.

If you are of my generation that was the experience of my childhood. No rampant consumerism, modest living and a much more caring and sharing culture or mindset.

Rampant consumerism had not raised it's ugly head. And, no I wasn't living in Cuba but 1960s Australia.