Page 3935 - Week 09 - Thursday, 25 August 2011
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Government called Whatever Happened to Frank and Fearless? The impact of new public management on the Australian Public Service. It includes a very interesting account of the Howard government’s attempts to get rid of the frank and fearless ideal of what the public service should be. The current APS values provide for the frank, honest, comprehensive, accurate and timely provision of advice. (Time expired.)
MR SESELJA (Molonglo—Leader of the Opposition) (3.56): It is probably worth picking up where Ms Hunter left off, isn’t it—the death of frank and fearless. We see how this government treat people who give them frank and fearless advice. Just ask Doug Buchanan, Debbie Scattergood and Neil Savery how you get treated when you tell the truth to this government.
What do we think is happening to frank and fearless advice under the leadership of Katy Gallagher? Again, we had quite an extraordinary contribution from Katy Gallagher on this. She tried to claim that by keeping her to account in this place it amounts to bullying. What a ridiculous statement—trying to claim that because she gets asked hard questions about her performance and her mismanagement of the health system that is somehow bullying. It is extraordinary, isn’t it, that we see the sensitivity to criticism and critique. I think that comes through in the way it flows down.
Katy Gallagher said, “We need to show leadership.” Well, where is the leadership coming from the Chief Minister? We have had members of her own backbench making the most disgraceful comments in this place and she does nothing about it. She does absolutely nothing about it—she condones it—because she does not have the courage to actually stand up and say that it is unacceptable. She does not have the courage to actually show leadership. She does not even show leadership here in this place.
We see how it trickles down very quickly. We see it when she attacks doctors. If doctors dare to criticise her government and say that there are things that are going wrong, she has a go at them publicly. She criticises their motivations. She says that they are just involved in doctor politics, which suggests malicious motives. It suggests they are not telling the truth. It suggests they are liars when they bring forward these claims. What kind of message does that give?
Then, of course, she gets upset at interjections from Mr Smyth when he says, “Well, you chose the secret path.” You did choose the secret path. You have to stand by that. You chose that with your vote. You had the opportunity to have an open inquiry into bullying at Canberra Hospital, but you chose to cover it up. Those are the facts. They might make you feel uncomfortable when they are highlighted in this place, but those are the facts: Katy Gallagher covers up bullying at Canberra Hospital. Those are the facts. The message that is given to public servants from the actions of this minister and of other ministers is that it is okay to cover up, it is okay to attack those who dare criticise this government.
Mr Assistant Speaker, make no mistake, this is a question of character. It is a question of character for this government because the overwhelming majority of public servants do an outstanding job. They do an important job and they should not be subject to threats and intimidation when they dare to criticise or highlight problems.
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