Page 1934 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 16 June 1993
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
But perhaps if we put it more logically, we would say 75 per cent negative. As for providing a sense of direction, 76 per cent negative; understanding the problems confronting staff at work, 76 per cent negative; providing recognition for good staff performance, 75 per cent negative. The survey shows that the Chief Minister has not been capable, has not had the expertise, does not have the talent or the managerial qualifications to effectively manage 300 staff, and we must look at what that means for the 300,000 people in the ACT.
One of the vital things within any organisation, as it is within the ACT as a whole, is communication. Many times we have brought up the concerns about the lack of communication between the Labor Party and various groups, organisations, departments and the community in the ACT. Let us have a look at the results in this area within the Chief Minister's own department. Some 58 per cent are dissatisfied with the level of communication between sections and 66 per cent with communication across the ACT Government Service. Some 63 per cent indicated that departmental practices have been poorly communicated and 48 per cent indicated that the overall purpose had been poorly communicated. I think that what the survey shows, once again, is a grave misuse of resources. There is an abundance of resources within the Chief Minister's Department and the 23,000 people within the ACT public service, but what this shows us is that that resource is in no way being effectively used. In addition, of course, what this appallingly misused managerial situation shows us is that taxpayers' dollars must be being wasted and, with the level of managerial incompetence, it must run into a great deal of money indeed.
What are the wasted opportunities? When you do not train staff well, when you do not induct them well, when you do not communicate well with staff, you waste enormous opportunities. I think that what it shows us is that the Chief Minister, perhaps because she has not had the capacity, has not had the training herself in her former work - - -
Ms Follett: Yes, I have. I have a degree in it, Dennis.
MR STEVENSON: I will make the point. I said that it was possibly because she has not had the training, and the Chief Minister says that she has a degree in it. One could ask: A degree in what?
Ms Follett: Public administration.
MR STEVENSON: If the Chief Minister has a degree in public administration, Lord knows what that says for whom they hand degrees out to or what the course is like, so help me. Anyone reading this attitude survey would ask the same questions. I find it quite bizarre. We go on. A question was asked, "If you were looking for a job other than your current one, what characteristics would you be seeking?".
Mr Kaine: Rapid promotion.
MR STEVENSON: There are 13 points on the list, and the top one, I think we have understood by now, is good management practices. The next most common are challenge, responsibility, autonomy - in other words, people not fiddling and messing around with what you are doing, but letting you get on with the show. Then there is opportunity for career development and career paths - and Mr Kaine might be right; it might be a career path elsewhere. Were it not for the
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .