Quick read
- In short: Victorian Ombudsman Deborah Glass has criticised the ‘creeping politicisation’ of the public service under Daniel Andrews in a scathing report.
- The Department of Premier and Cabinet secretary welcomed the report’s conclusion that it could not substantiate claims the public service had been improperly stacked.
- What’s next? Ms Glass recommended the appointment of a public service head to independently oversee employment in the sector
The impartiality of Victoria’s public service has been “eroded” by a culture of fear and secrecy and an over-reliance on consultants by the Andrews Labor government, a damning ombudsman investigation has found.
In her report, Ombudsman Deborah Glass warns that the culture risks public funds being wasted on the wrong projects, while diminishing public confidence in government work.
But Ms Glass’s report, triggered by a referral from state parliament, did not substantiate claims that the public service had been improperly ‘stacked’ with ALP operatives.
“While the justification for some appointments was questionable, we did not find evidence of partisan hiring of former ministerial staffers to inappropriately advance ALP objectives,” the report said.
“Nor did we find evidence these staffers engaged in inappropriate partisan conduct while employed in the public sector.”
But the probe did make damning findings about the perception of politicisation, an erosion of independence of the advice provided to government as well as the use of consultants.
“Politicisation can take many forms,” Ms Glass said.
“It is not just the hiring of people with political affiliations. It is also the closing down or marginalisation of apolitical, independent voices.”
Ms Glass’s report blew the whistle on “rushed and shoddy” recruiting processes that involved former ministerial staff moving to the public sector as well as “poor record-keeping and opaque selection methods”.
“Creeping politicisation is a reality in Victoria, and requires urgent attention,” she said.
The investigation was hamstrung by current and former senior public servants who were reluctant to be interviewed.
“One of the first callers to the investigation’s dedicated submissions phone line stated people were generally ‘shit scared’ of upsetting the government – a sentiment which surfaced often as the investigation unfolded,” the report said.
The ombudsman said she did not and was not required to interview the former premier or government ministers for the report.
