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The Forum > Article Comments > Learning from the past > Comments

Learning from the past : Comments

By Bruce Haigh, published 19/3/2008

Why was the public service so ineffectual in the face of an aggressively ideological Howard government?

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read your constitution, you'll be amazed that anything gets done.

the australian people don't deserve anything better, any more than sheep in a paddock deserve a jacuzzi. they let themselves be ruled by a group of people who demonstrate no claim to sainthood, but merely claim to be less bad than the other mob.

"you get the government you deserve", if you vote for it.

the quality of the government is an accurate reflection of the national character: faced with the choice of one from two gangs of grifters, they do choose, and go back to the racing guide for another three years. the oz intelligentsia, aptly styled 'chatterati', talks on but being powerless and inexperienced, never thinks to suggest a better system. learn from the past? this is the mob that listened to joh b-p say "don't you worry about that!" for 20 years. all they learned was that politics was not for the likes of them.
Posted by DEMOS, Thursday, 20 March 2008 8:16:19 AM
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"why was the public service so ineffectual?" because "australian democracy" is not democracy.

but you're not going to learn anything. it's too convenient to just blame the pollies for being pollies, the public servants for being bureaucrats. heaven forfend that the oz people should realize that everyone looks out for themselves, and the people have to rule oz, if the people want oz to be run for the people.

no, instead we'll just have a good whinge, and then tug a forelock when a politician walks by.
Posted by DEMOS, Thursday, 20 March 2008 8:24:11 AM
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Bruce Haigh wrote:

"Howard’s wilfully selfish desire to use the instruments of state to maintain his hold on power"

Fascism, anyone?
Posted by ex_liberal_voter, Thursday, 20 March 2008 4:58:43 PM
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Just look at the police-state legislation he brought in for the answer to that question.
Posted by HenryVIII, Thursday, 20 March 2008 6:41:47 PM
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You would get a far, far better Public service if Public Servants were not permitted to vote,
No one who is directly hanging off the public purse should be allowed to vote.
Undemocratic I hear you shout ? Well, just as democratic as having half the working population paying taxes to keep the public servants in better conditions than those who pay for them.
These conditions are not noticeable in mainstream but in remote communities they really are obvious. The Governments offer very handsome packages for bureaucrats to go Bush for 2 years & then hand over to another bureaucrat just as ineffective & expensive to keep.
What Governments don't realise is that these people apart from not being needed cause too much disruption & are the prime cause for the status quo.
How can any small community ever expect to be a cohesive social group when it is being overun by transients who can't wait to leave.
Posted by individual, Friday, 21 March 2008 7:01:44 AM
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Under Howard public servants became yes men - no more frank and fearless advice. Where were the public servants to warn Howard about the impact of WorkChoices, WMDs/Iraq or purchase of the Super Hornets?

They were cowering in their offices too afraid to speak for being branded dissenters, and heaven help anyone who might want to whistle blow or gain access to documents under FOI. Any who did speak out (Andrew Wilkie, Lieutenant Colonel Lance Collins et al) faced major impacts on their lives. Even Mick Keelty was told to 'shut up' re his comments that the invasion of Iraq contributed to the risk of terrorism.

Public servants don't run the country, nor should they. They implement and administer the programmes and policies of the incumbent government. Even if they draft a letter on behalf of a Minister the Minister will not sign unless happy with the content. The content is based on the policies developed by that government.

It would be impossible for a Minister to read and respond personally to every piece of mail that is sent - there are thousands. A good public servant will isolate the sensitive ones and ensure the others receive responses or are referred to the appropriate agency. This is the norm and has been under every government with some variation and individual preferences.

Personally I would never waste my time writing to a Minister except my own MP. There is more chance that they can represent you to the relevant Minister but you will still get a variation on a pro-forma reply based on the government's stance. It will be spin and rhetoric to justify their own position.

On a positive note I have witnessed where there has been real assistance offered to people in difficulty due to their letters and this does make being a public servant worthwhile. It is a bit of luck of the draw. If you can contact a bureaucrat who is not just a mouthpiece and has some sense of responsibility to the public, they can sometimes offer real help.
Posted by pelican, Monday, 24 March 2008 3:16:21 PM
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