The State Government itself is an issue in the credibility of the draft plan, because:

• the draft plan, Innovation - Queensland's Future, is seen as part of a process which envisages a major strategic 'repositioning' of Queensland for the information age; and
• the Premier's 7 priorities include 'skilling Queensland'.

Unfortunately a similar political intent in the early 1990s to 're-engineer' Queensland's Public Service (to make it more business-like) clearly eroded its skill base, which slowly led to administrative breakdowns (eg muddles in health and education services, and fumbled infrastructure planning) and to a failure to effectively create vital economic capabilities ⁽¹⁾.

Experience thus suggests that, in the absence of professional support, it is impossible for politically oriented organisations to reliably identify or achieve constructive changes in professional capabilities ⁽²⁾.

Thus any process now intended to 're-position' Queensland's capabilities relevant to innovation, in terms of what is politically seen to be appropriate, could seriously reduce (rather than increase) relevant skills.

Furthermore the effect of past erosion of the professional competence of Queensland's Public Service now appears to be a major constraint on what the State Government can reliably do ⁽³⁾. The draft plan identifies many technically complex requirements for implementation by government, which would depend on persons of unproven technical competence ⁽⁴⁾.

Unfortunately the situation does not appear likely to improve. An analyst at ANU has recently argued that the effect of politicisation on eroding professional competence may be more important than its effect on political neutrality ⁽⁵⁾. Despite this (and the apparent re-appearance of a 'shambles' in the Public Service), the politicisation of Queensland's Public Service now (reportedly) has bipartisan support ⁽⁶⁾.

NOTES

1. See Craig J. Towards Good Government in Queensland, Centre for Policy and Development Systems, 1995

2. A Reduction in Technical Skills accompanied politically driven attempts to 're-engineer' Queensland's Public Service because: (a) there is a large gap between being able to bluff the political system, and the ability (which those with little relevant experience usually lack) to see the practical significance of policy theories, cope with complex situations, be credible with their peers and achieve real results; (b) political appointments tend to be limited to persons known to the political system - who tend to be those relying on such linkages to get ahead - often due to a lack of professional capability. Where political (rather than professional) criteria apply, the situation can be exploited by plausible opportunists (eg those with good theoretical knowledge but limited experience). The political system has had a poor track record in picking administrative 'winners'. Many cases can now be identified where politically appointed CEOs have become the main problem a Minister faces after 18 months.

3. The Effect of Politically Driven 'Repositioning': Queensland now appears to suffer a defective skill base in its 'senior' Public Service due to the attempt in the early 1990s to 're-engineer' it to be more business-like. Some views of a range of responsible middle-rank Public Servants and external observers about the current (1999) situation are recorded below. These anecdotes can not be checked due to a lack of resources, and have deliberately been made vague to avoid 'witch-hunts'. However, if correct, they strongly suggests that the opposite of a professional Public Service is not a politicised public service, but rather an amateur Public Service.

• "inter-agency relationships revolve around politics and position. They are not robust enough to allow the honest exchange of ideas which is required for creative solutions";
• "there is infighting amongst agencies. This reflects the fact that senior staff are scrambling to be associated with whatever is happening. There is not enough really happening to go around";
• "senior staff are not contributing well (ie in taking initiatives; making decisions). They often attend training - which does not change their performance. The problem is that, instead of training juniors selected as having potential, senior staff with little potential are being trained - and it doesn't help";
• "many (incapable) SES staff in one agency are likely to be replaced - on the basis of cronyism";
• "the CEO of one agency is virtually only involved in dealings with the political system, and takes very little interest in the agency's activities. This irritates staff who prefer to work for their pay".
• "there are technical problems plaguing initiatives which are being taken eg (a) a whole-of-government focus is sought, though Queensland agencies are often decentralized, and not able to be effectively committed by decisions made in their head offices; (b) integrated whole-of-government call centres are proposed which are not compatible with the divergent capabilities and systems which exist within agencies; (c) a process proposed to rationalize service delivery envisages a single point service. This would be effective for simple transactions - but not for 70% of the activities of government; (d) the development of a standard operating environment for computer systems involves standardization on a specific product - rather than examining what is really required for inter-operability. This neglects large existing investments in systems' development, and the potential for public sector purchasing to stimulate product development and competitive advantages".
• "A supervisor prevented staff from fully investigating a matter - and insisted on a narrow focus. The supervisor lacked skills in dealing with the bigger issues, and wished stay entirely within what was acceptable to their superiors. Achieving the agency goal required efforts which beyond the skill base of the supervisor - but not beyond those of their subordinate - who none-the-less depended on the supervisor to retain a job".
• "The public service is a shambles. It is not obvious how anything gets done".
• "The public service has lost its corporate memory, and at great cost, it repeats past mistakes"
• "Ministers appear to be dismayed when they realize that it is impossible to get useful results out of the people who are supposed to work for them".
• "Senior management, in the wreckage of the public service which resulted from the Goss Government's reforms, often lacks the capacity to resolve the complex problems which are within their nominal area of responsibility. Overlaid on this, many Department heads are recent political appointees who lack institutional memory and any understanding of the practicalities of their Department's roles, and who turn management up-side down, generate resentments and leave their Department's floundering worse than before".
• "Staff are busy with routine work - but waiting for something to happen rather than trying to achieve anything. Many now focus solely on holding their job. While permanent public servants have been granted some security, there are so many temporary employees with no such guarantees that a reaction very much like that which the Goss administration provoked is likely".
• "Policy is now concerned only with public relations - not with content. It is about word-smithing so that simpletons can say (and hear) something".
• "Strategic capability has disappeared in all government departments - and will not re-appear with the types of people who are being recruited. Senior staff could never acquire a strategic viewpoint even with endless training. An accounting mentality (which focuses narrowly and avoids 'big picture' issues) dominates. The result is that (in policy terms) the system is being run by a great wack of 'yes men'. There is also a sense in which the state is resting on its laurels. Queensland will be in a very precarious position if Asia sorts itself out - as that whole region is run by strategic thinkers".
• "Managerialism has been disastrous".
• "The principal goal of Public Servants now is to survive. They have no freedom to tell the truth".
• •"People being promoted are those who will protect their superiors, not those who will challenge them with new ideas. The Net Bet affair probably reflects advisers' failure to warn that what was being done was foolish. The Public Services' role now is to make Ministers feel good. The top people can not cope with the rigors of fresh insights. This is the effect of politicization. When organizations get like this, they are one step short of death".
• •"People who are functionally illiterate are producing minutes for agencies / commissions which make decisions in one key area of government activities. Thus no one knows what decisions or policies are. This arises because politics rule over collaborative excellence - and those with connections indulge themselves by appointing favourites to such positions".
• •"Staff who try to prepare a proper analysis of policy issues in one area involving major Queensland assets are ridiculed by their superiors, because decisions are not made on that basis - but only to keep the political system happy - often involving sweetheart deals".

4. The Public Service's Professional Credibility is Unproven: merit has not been a required consideration in CEO and SES appointments in the 1990s, and thus could not meaningfully be considered at lower levels.

5. See Mulgan R. 'Politicisation of Senior Appointments in the Australian Public Service', Australian Journal of Public Administration, Sept 1998.

6. Bipartisan support for politicisation of senior Public Service appointments in Queensland was indicated in 'Only four survive Beattie's reshuffle', (Franklin M., Courier Mail, 17/4/99).