Indi, that is almost as bad as the way Abbott was caught with his snout in the public trough. Ripping off the tax payer to the tune of $9,400 promoting his rubbishy book in 2009. Just can't trust a deceitful politician.
If I rob a bank and get caught will all be forgiven if I simply pay the money back?

Indi. I thought your 'boot camp' idea was dead and buried, not so, I see your have resurrected it again. Is it it still going to be up there in the Deep Deep North, somewhere in wilds of Cape York? Have you put your scheme to Abbott yet? I'm sure he will be very receptive to the idea. How much to do think the government should set aside to get the ball rolling, $20 billion, $30 billion, more? Well if the young folk don't learn anything else at "Boot Camp" they should learn at least how to pluck figures out of the air;
"After two years, aged 21 in national service at least 85% of freshly minted adults will enter the world of work with a much more defined outlook on life" 85%? where did you get that figure from?

where did you get that figure from?
Paul1405,
Two wrongs make a right might cut it with you lot but not with me.
I arrived at 85% from my own observations of watching, listening etc. on decent peoles' remarks re all things society. A little like what can we contibute to our country rather than your notion of how much can we bludge off our country. I found that ex national service people albeit military rather than non-military, are mostly well adjusted & logical unlike your illogical, confused & selfish lot.

On the beach, It's a bit much to criticise me for 'passing off' something I hadn't read. But thank you for the quote from the Australian.

There's a bit of a contradiction between the two articles.
Canberra Times: "... 26.1 per cent (EL) and 1.7 (executive) per cent respectively for the bureaucracy as a whole." This would make roughly a manager : staff ratio of 1:4.

Australian: "Analysis by The Australian has found there is now one manager for every 2.5 ordinary workers in the federal bureaucracy."

Whatever the case, The Australian confirms my guess that this is 'classification creep' - people doing the same job but at a higher grading. Maybe they are really 'ordinary workers' just with a fancy title and more pay? Does having the title 'manager' suddenly turn committed hard-working public servants into gloating fat cats?

As someone said earlier, there are going to be crooks, lazy people etc. in the public service just as there will be in any human organisation. What I'm challenging is the generalisation that all public service managers = lazy rorters, which is as silly as saying all white people = racists.

Re Senator Jan McLucas. Why is her living mainly in Canberra "a typical rort supported by our tax dollar." It might actually be saving us money. She would have to fly back and forward anyway whether she lived most of the time in Canberra or Cairns.

If she was claiming living away from home allowance for time in Canberra outside parliament sitting days (and other work commitments such as committees etc.) then it would be a problem, but the article doesn't make that clear. Nor does it say whether she and/or her partner own the Canberra residence.

The language of the article undermines its credibility; from either side of politics it's easy to pick a dirt job.

For an alternate view on Qld rorts, see the interview with Tony Fitzgerald in last Saturday's The Weekend Australian Magazine. It's the first he's ever given. "Party politics leave me absolutely cold. I cannot believe that people yield up the ability to act in accordance with the directions of he party." It's nice to read something that totally avoids left-bashing or right-bashing.

I mistyped the quote from Tony Fitzgerald:

"Party politics leave me absolutely cold. I cannot believe that people yield up the ability to act in accordance with their conscience in order to act in accordance with the directions of the party."