TOWARDS A PROFESSIONAL PUBLIC SERVICE

Email dated 25/8/07

Mr Malcolm Colless,
General Manager, Corporate Development
The Australian

Might a Change in Federal Government be Worse?

I should like to point out in relation to your article in The Australian of 24/7/07 ('Change may be worse') that the present Opposition leader had a central role in the Goss Government in Queensland, which converted badly run-down government machinery into a true disaster area (see Queensland's Worst Government?).

While I can not say who was most to blame for that Government's abuses of power and the unworkable machinery that was its legacy, your article was asking a very important question. There is a huge gap between espousing trendy policy rhetoric and achieving practical results. That gap can be bridged by a professionally competent Public Service - but Australia's political class seems to have decided it no longer needs such support (see Decay of Australian Public Administration).

Mr Rudd does not seem to have acknowledged the extent of the mistakes that were made in Queensland, and thus is unlikely to have learned from that experience. However, as the latter document points out, very similar mistakes were made by the present federal government.

Unless and until a political leader has the guts to admit their mistakes, Australia's government will continue to get worse.

Regards

John Craig