Ooh, George, methinks you forgot one - Never Apologise Never Explain. Told to me in all seriousness by a very senior government official during a training session. A mantra that was subsequently repeated many times. (I'm a slow learner.) Did you forget about this one?

Good on you George for expressing your frustration on OLO.

I’m not entirely sure just how genuine or tongue-in-cheek you article is, but I’m going to treat it very seriously….and jump at the chance to have a chronic whinge (:>)

If you were hoping to worm out a frustrated public servant or two from amongst the readership of OLO, well congratulations, you’ve sure found one with old Ludwig!

I’ve just clocked up twenty fruitin’ years with the same department. Or may be that should be; cocked up for 20 fruitless years!

I keep telling myself that I’m in the right place. My job fits with my passionate interests, qualifications and experience…..sort of….to a fair extent….. well, in theory at least. People regularly mention how lucky they think I am to have developed a career in the area of my passions (botany, birds, ecology, geology, geomorphology, sustainability, overall environmentalism, photography and a lot of time spent out bush).

It hasn’t been toooo bad all-told for me to have stayed for so long. But holy sh!t, has it been compromised by some utterly extraordinary crap!

continued

The lowlights have been:

1. The most amazing lack of compliance with our code of conduct from my superiors and fellow low-ranking employees on a number of significant occasions, with no qualms from some of them about acting in a very nasty manner, and with serious consequences for me, despite absolutely no wrongdoing on my part.

2. The strongly negative connotations attached to efforts to improve the quality of our public service and science, which all employees are encouraged to do within our code of conduct. The hypocrisy between what is purported to be and what actually is.

3. The lack of any discernible difference in quality of life at work or your prospects for career advancement between keeping the lowest possible profile and being out there prominently presenting yourself, your interests and ideas.

4. The absolute lack of any commendation or even acknowledgement from your superiors for undertaking work-related things outside of one’s actual working hours or job description. For example, the many years of botanical records that I have collected in my own time and contributed to our work database or the involvement with non-government environmental organisations including terms as president of three of them, none of which ever had a conflict of interest with my department, and which should have been seen as entirely complementary.

5. The terrible lack of regard for the underlying purpose of my particular department (apart from appeasing the minister and government of the day), and of the role of sections within the department. The disingenuous manner in which we operate.

I reckon arcticdog, after reading this, that if you followed George's first paradigm you shouldn't be put in the position of apologising or explaining yourself very often at all, because you won't be the one making the decisions!

Yes, government employees are the butt of many a joke. These jokes and others I'm sure waste just as much time in the private sector as they do the public.

As a government employee myself I know how hard the ones around me work and it's usually done without the remuneration the same work in private enterprise could command. I certainly don't know of any government employees paid the obscenely high million-dollar salaries commonplace in the corporate sector.

What's the alternative to public service? To have all our services provided by private operators whose first interest is to turn a profit? I don't think so. There are any number of privatised services and utilities we can turn to now and see that 'public service' is indeed a very low priority.

There are advantages in the job security more traditionally found in the public service which don't exist in the cutthroat dog-eat-dog world of private enterprise. How much time is wasted by employees searching and applying for jobs? And as soon as they get one, they're on the lookout for the next one. And how much work that is done these days is done purely because it will look good on the resume? The cooperative and collegial workplace has given way to constantly shifting and demandingly competitive work environments. And unfortunately this private enterprise trend is creeping into the public arena.

Public service in Australia today is far from faultless, I agree. A lot of its problems have developed through its over politicization which became particularly entrenched during the Howard years. Public servants are far less likely to proffer the objective and fearless advice they once were.

Another problem is the constant poaching of personnel by the private sector. Public health and education, the defence forces, the police service and many more train people at taxpayer expense only to have them lured into the private sector.

The public service is a worthwhile institution. It needs to be supported and strengthened, not ridiculed and undermined, especially by those who are enjoying its benefits. Yes, George, I'm speaking to you!

Bronwyn,

the reason public servants dont get the high wages in the private sector is that they don't do the same work that commands that wage. They don't have the same responsibility or accountability that you get in the private economy.

It is clear from the behaviour of public servants that they think they are already on a good wicket (otherwise they would leave and command the high salaries that they claim they are missing out on).

In my dealings with teh public service I see a whole bunch of blockers who are not adding much value at all, and the last thing they need is more resources to waste on pet projects, which they think are vital, but no-one who has to suffer from them would willingly pay for.