Page 3928 - Week 09 - Thursday, 25 August 2011
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improvement in this space and I have made it very clear to the Head of Service and the Commissioner for Public Administration in the several meetings I have had with them on this subject what my expectations of this improvement are.
There is a renewed focus on minimising those instances where public servants have not been treated in accordance with the government’s high expectations in order to create the positive work culture that will attract and retain high calibre public servants to address our community’s needs.
As we discuss those initiatives it is important to keep in mind that we should not conflate a number of incidents to taint the majority of hardworking, dedicated and well behaved officials that serve our community. We should not conflate genuine disclosures of maladministration and employment grievances and draw a conclusion that the problem is bigger than it is. We should not tar all of our officials with the same brush.
Of course, those who deserve it should be disciplined for behaving in a way that the community, not just the government, finds unacceptable. But we should, in this place, not risk denigrating the majority of our dedicated officials because some of their colleagues may behave unacceptably.
I remarked in this place last week that we should avoid abusing our position of power and privilege and think long and hard before we, in an attempt to score cheap political points, name in this place individuals who are often in difficult circumstances. Of course we should discuss systemic issues in public administration in the ACT but we should do so with the facts in front of us and a genuine desire to improve the systems as they exist.
I do welcome the opportunity for another debate on the standards in public life in this place, but we should engage in that debate positively and with a view to improving what we do. In this context it is particularly incumbent on ministers to avoid making public remarks about the individual circumstances of officials in their directorates in this place. This is something which the opposition is not bound by, as we clearly see by their behaviour in this place.
Mr Assistant Speaker, dealing with bullying is in part about dealing with the consequences and the perpetrators. More importantly, if we are to foster the positive culture in the public service we all desire, we must engage in a positive, forward looking process of setting expectations and equipping public servants to deliver on them. To this end there are a number of initiatives currently underway in the public service.
I have already spoken recently about the review of the ACT public interest disclosure legislation. An exposure draft of the proposed amendment bill based on the project’s finding is to be released for public comment before the end of 2011. The exposure draft will address procedures for permitting appropriate public reporting of outcomes of investigations under the act, reflecting the intent of the Public Interest Disclosure Act to protect the public interest, clarifying the scope of what amounts to a public interest disclosure and ensuring a regime that facilitates the making of confidential disclosures and the protection of those who do.
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