Page 1942 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 16 June 1993
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Mr Lamont: You do not understand it yourself.
MR DE DOMENICO: Have you read it? Yes or no?
Mr Lamont: Over his shoulder this afternoon, and it is considerably more pages than you have in your hand.
MR DE DOMENICO: Do not start making any comments then. There is the rest of it. Just get back in your box; you can contribute later on.
I was interested to see that, of the 313 staff members that were given this survey, 193 replied. That is a good response rate of 62 per cent, as Mr Stevenson and Ms Follett have mentioned. From time to time one tends to find it not so difficult to disagree with Mr Stevenson. Can I say, after hearing Ms Follett, that it is also not too difficult to disagree with what she had to say. I intend to keep my comments very brief and to the point of the facts and figures in the pieces of paper I have in front of me. Ms Follett, for example, said that 67 per cent of people were satisfied with their current position, and that is true. But the quote I want to read goes on to say that there are only 7 per cent - - -
Mr Connolly: But are you satisfied with your current position, Mr Deputy Leader? That is the question.
MR DE DOMENICO: Mr Connolly, I am always satisfied, regardless of what position I am in, unlike some people opposite. Some 67 per cent are satisfied with their current position, although only 7 per cent rated morale in their division as high. Why did we not hear more about that figure? I am not having a go at public servants at all. It is a fact of life that only 7 per cent thought morale was high. In other words, 93 per cent thought their morale was not high. That figure is alarming. We are about to embark on the establishment of our own ACT public service, and so we should, in my opinion. Although Mr Stevenson might disagree, I believe that we should. Should it not be concerning to anyone embarking on that that only 7 per cent of current staff members consider their morale as high? We are told that we are going to take on board all these staff people.
Mr Berry: No, no; that is not right.
MR DE DOMENICO: You said it on radio. Do not say "No, no".
Mr Berry: No, 7 per cent is not the figure. You are saying "of all of the staff". Where from?
MR DE DOMENICO: Seven per cent from the Chief Minister's Department, which is where the survey was undertaken, in case you did not know.
Mr Stevenson: Perhaps Mr Berry should read it as well.
MR DE DOMENICO: Yes. It is available in the library. It has been available in the library since December. Seven per cent rated the morale in their division as high. I would be concerned if only 7 per cent of the staff I employed rated their morale as high, and I am sure that anybody else in business would be concerned as well. But no-one has asked the question, "Why do you rate your morale so low? What are the reasons why morale is so low?". Most of the responses I am getting from the survey are that it is because of the direction being given to them.
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