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The Forum > Article Comments > Past perfect - public demands flawless execution > Comments

Past perfect - public demands flawless execution : Comments

By Mark Christensen, published 21/3/2012

Managing disasters like the Brisbane floods demonstrates that in hindsight no behaviour is perfect.

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It is about time that some commentator wrote this article . No government , or government authority , can prevent all disasters from occurring . In disasters , remedial action must be taken speedily and speedy action almost always leads to some mistake which hurts somebody .

The media and many politicians have encouraged a " compo culture " in which anybody who suffers any misfortune demands that a government must be " held accountable " for it , meaning that the person suffering must be given money from the government [ i.e. the taxpayers ] . Additionally , a public apology must be given .

The original apology to the stolen generations was needed , but , since then , any person or group who feels aggrieved demands an apology , followed by compensation , despite claiming that it is not about the money .

As a retired public servant , I have experienced the unproductive result of the compo culture , whereby one is encouraged to take no risks , do nothing original , and is expected to engage in ticking even more boxes to create the impression that the government is doing something about everything .
Posted by jaylex, Wednesday, 21 March 2012 8:07:12 AM
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We need to plan for uncertainty not blindly accepting what happens. The flooding was predictable, experts have been issueing warnings even before the 1974 flood. Furthermore CSIRO was warning the state QLD govermnent about dangerous weather conditions following warnings by experts in South America about impact of an of the el nina weather event.
I was argueing 30 years ago about the stupidity about building houses in Brisbane on the flood plain.

The dam managers failed in duty of care by failing to let more water before days before the flood.
Posted by PEST, Wednesday, 21 March 2012 11:01:52 AM
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Well here we have the perfect apologist for our B & C grade public servants.

Yes those bureaucrats often referred to as "experts", when ever there is some form of emergency, who almost always turn out severely lacking in expertise or ability. In fact they often cause more problems than they cure.

With Wivenhoe it was well known & discussed out of George street, while it was going on, that our experts had sat on their butts all weekend. Why we will never know why, as they aren't coming clean, but everyone was discussing it, out in the sticks. Was it the perceived value to George street of all that water?

Perhaps Mark has forgotten the Victorian fires, where the whole city based mob could be fairly considered responsible for considerable loss of life, with their incompetence, & dictatorial attitude to the locals on the ground.

Then consider the story of one of our local [south east Qld country] SES volunteers. A group of them volunteered when volunteers were called for, & flew to Cairns to help with the last cyclone emergency. They found no plan to use them, when they got there, or do anything much, apart from wringing hands. They were put in a pub, & forgotten.

With nothing more suitable available, they hired some Toyota Camrys, not exactly flood worthy vehicles, & set off to do what they would do at home in an emergency.

To their utter amazement, they were the first help to arrive at one severely damaged coastal township. With no local knowledge, but some years of basic country driving they had got in without much trouble.

Next to arrive were the media, much better equipped with at least large 4WD vehicles.

It was only 24 hours later that emergency services, & the army, with the right equipment arrived. There was some mumbling about health & safety concerns having delayed this last lot.

Continued
Posted by Hasbeen, Wednesday, 21 March 2012 11:25:02 AM
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Continued

To be fair to the Wivenhoe engineers, I don't know how you become a flood expert during a 10 year drought, but sitting on your hands is no way to demonstrate any level of ability.

Obviously we need to correct the corrupted method of hiring senior public servants. The current system is a catastrophe. If you have ever looked at the selection criteria for these jobs, it is obviously designed to give you a bureaucrat at the end of it. Lots of time avoiding mistakes in a lower level PS job is the main requirement. Proven ability is looked on with distrust.

How on earth the human resources people, with absolutely no knowledge of the real requirements of the job, could do much else, as it is organised, is a good question.

One thing for sure is, parachuting in someone with the right connections, & a bit of paper provided by a university is not working.

The next inquiry should be on just how we select & promote bureaucrats. Perhaps a system where every one of them, human relations included, should be on 5 year contracts, after which they must not be employed in any government position, or consultancy, for 5 years would help them get some real work experience.
Posted by Hasbeen, Wednesday, 21 March 2012 11:28:02 AM
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Hasbeen, I wouldn't be so harsh on the engineer/managers for sitting on their hands initially. Look at how the AGW fanatics had been telling us this low rainfall of the last 10-15 years was the new normal. We had polliticians scared out of the wits (and sense) into pouring $billions into desal plants on contracts in favour of the constructor/operators.

In the face of these circumstances what dam operator below premier or prime minister would be game enough to release water from their dam if there was any chance of hanging on to it? I can just see the tar & feathering they would have received if the floods didn't eventuate and they had let go that water.

DKit
Posted by dkit, Wednesday, 21 March 2012 12:49:44 PM
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...My personal involvement in flood recovery work in the Ipswich area since the floods has educated me in many ways. The main observation is the resilience of the locals to recover and get on with life. But a deeper concern is the universal condemnation in the area of the political class, and the sense of desertion created by the arbitrary decision making inside the entrenched institutions such as Insurance and Banking industries.

...But if not for the generosity of fellow Australians who donated scarce money resources, helping out those in desperate need of money for the reconstruction of homes, (which should have been the preserve of those industries), a very different story would emerge.

...The urgent need now is for the fundamental purpose of Wivenhoe dam to be restored.

...Originally intended for flood mitigation, its purpose was morphed over time, by a priority of water supply. Obviously the dam can not serve two functions. If its purpose is now to continue with water supply priority, then compensation will have a need to accompany the removal of building estates built since 1974, in flood prone areas of Ipswich and further downstream...
Posted by diver dan, Wednesday, 21 March 2012 1:13:44 PM
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