A pretty fair assessment of the state of play in 'Victoria - The Failed State'. However, might I respectfully suggest that of equal if not more serious concern is the indirect cost of such mammoth and politically crafted bureaucracies. These include the total politicisation of the civil service; a societal culture of political inertia; timidity by the civil servants to do their job in providing frank advice and guidance; political graft and corruption; an institutionalised civil service culture of jobs for the boys, the diminution of the citizen and, ultimately, the development of the totalitarian state. The health of the civil service is integral to sound government. The public service/civil service exists purely to advise the government of the day and to give effect to government decisions within the clear parameters of the constitution, the law and the direction of the Public/Civil Service Commissioner. No civil servant should be obliged or allowed to work outside these clear constraints.
My husband had to wait 18 months to get a box ticked. The bureaucracy concerned was in Danistan. Someone made the comment that they were all working from home but not a lot of work was being done.
The longer we accept it the harder it will be to to redress. Finally the festering canker erupts into political populism to nobody's advantage. The greatest culprit here is the Liberal/National Party coalition. We expect the Labor Party to play party games with the civil service. However, as you correctly observe, the coalition governments have consistently ignored the problem in the name of political pragmatism, some might call it cowardice. The only conservative politician in recent years to have had to intestinal fortitude to recognise and address the problem of a bloated and politicised civil service was Campbell Newman in Queensland. Sadly he went at it as a bull at a gate and was politically punished for his courage. Successive coalition governments around Australia, instead of learning from his mistake, have chosen timidity over principle.
More govt employees to control, limit and harass everyone else. More red tape to stop everyone else getting on with living productive, useful and enjoyable lives. More like Argentina and poverty stricken communist Russia and China. Yet the voters keep voting them in !
A pretty fair assessment of the state of play in 'Victoria - The Failed State'. However, might I respectfully suggest that of equal if not more serious concern is the indirect cost of such mammoth and politically crafted bureaucracies. These include the total politicisation of the civil service; a societal culture of political inertia; timidity by the civil servants to do their job in providing frank advice and guidance; political graft and corruption; an institutionalised civil service culture of jobs for the boys, the diminution of the citizen and, ultimately, the development of the totalitarian state. The health of the civil service is integral to sound government. The public service/civil service exists purely to advise the government of the day and to give effect to government decisions within the clear parameters of the constitution, the law and the direction of the Public/Civil Service Commissioner. No civil servant should be obliged or allowed to work outside these clear constraints.
My husband had to wait 18 months to get a box ticked. The bureaucracy concerned was in Danistan. Someone made the comment that they were all working from home but not a lot of work was being done.
Bureaucracy is becoming a cancer on our society, fanned by Labor and generally ignored by the Libs.
I hope it’s not terminal.
The longer we accept it the harder it will be to to redress. Finally the festering canker erupts into political populism to nobody's advantage. The greatest culprit here is the Liberal/National Party coalition. We expect the Labor Party to play party games with the civil service. However, as you correctly observe, the coalition governments have consistently ignored the problem in the name of political pragmatism, some might call it cowardice. The only conservative politician in recent years to have had to intestinal fortitude to recognise and address the problem of a bloated and politicised civil service was Campbell Newman in Queensland. Sadly he went at it as a bull at a gate and was politically punished for his courage. Successive coalition governments around Australia, instead of learning from his mistake, have chosen timidity over principle.
Great work this week James! It's been a big week!!
More govt employees to control, limit and harass everyone else. More red tape to stop everyone else getting on with living productive, useful and enjoyable lives. More like Argentina and poverty stricken communist Russia and China. Yet the voters keep voting them in !
Same old, same old Labor.
Will they never learn?
will voters ever learn? why do 'we' keep voting for the same parties every time.
Jobs, jobs, jobs for the girls --- and for a very few boys.
So true. A monstrous regiment of women everywhere.
If only the 'old thunderer" were still with us!
The ship of state is in a state as was the kirk in Knox's day.