Page 1944 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 16 June 1993
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To go on further, we know that 25 per cent give a positive response about making good staff decisions. One would tend to think, "That is fantastic, because 25 per cent are happy". But what that does not say is that 75 per cent are not. Were they asked the question, "Why are you not happy?". If you read through the whole of the survey, which I did, and obviously Mr Stevenson and Mr Kaine and some members opposite did - - -
Mr Lamont: It might have been that they had to answer stupid ministerials from the Opposition.
MR DE DOMENICO: The peanut gallery is heard again commenting. If we read the survey, we would know what the facts are. Let us read some more. Nothing was said about the fact that 76 per cent believe that there is no provision of a sense of direction. We know that 24 per cent said that there was. We get that in there; it is written as if everything is hunky-dory. But 76 per cent said no, they were not happy. Again, 76 per cent do not understand the problems confronting staff at work, but we are told about the 24 per cent positive, not the 76 per cent negative.
We are then told that 58 per cent are dissatisfied with the level of communication between sections and 66 per cent are dissatisfied with communication across the ACT Government Service. In other words, when you need to contact your colleagues outside, 66 per cent find that communication is a bit of a worry. To go on, 63 per cent indicate that departmental practices have been poorly communicated and 48 per cent indicate that the overall purpose has been poorly communicated. This word "communication" is repeated over and over again. Only 14 per cent expressed confidence that the results of this survey would be used constructively.
Mr Stevenson: Could that be 86 per cent?
MR DE DOMENICO: That could mean, Mr Stevenson, that 86 per cent said that the results of this survey would not be used constructively. If that is imprinted in the minds of the public servants, one would be very interested - perhaps this is the gauge we should take - in the results of the next survey. What is being done between this one and the next one? I think that is the question we ought to be asking.
I have heard time and time again about performance indicators, for example, starting at the Estimates Committee; but, when you have a close look at this survey, the majority of the staff that did respond said that they believed that the performance indicators were not being addressed adequately. Once again, we should ask the question: Why? Was the question asked, "Why do you think the performance indicators are not being addressed adequately"? We did not hear the Chief Minister say anything about whether those questions were addressed. We heard a lot about process, and that was fine. I applaud the Chief Minister for the process, except that perhaps she should have told the Assembly that the process was going on. There is no excuse when people say, "Yes, but you are not in government". We are elected members of this Assembly, who ought to be told. One of the most important issues this Assembly is going to face in the future is the creation and the establishment of a separate ACT public service.
Mr Lamont: You will fix that tomorrow, won't you?
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