Editorial: Why Qld needs an inquiry into integrity
If there was any doubt about the need for an integrity inquiry into the state government, the actions of Annastacia Palaszczuk’s Director-General should put paid to them, writes The Editor.
There should be no doubt about the need for an integrity inquiry into the state government but if there was, the actions of the Annastacia Palaszczuk’s Director-General should put paid to that.
On Monday, just three days after buckled under the daily pressure and barrage of questions surrounding her government’s integrity and called a review, the Premier’s Director-General Rachel Hunter wrote to all public servants inviting they apply to be part of that very review.
Despite weeks of current and former senior public servants levelling allegations of a lack of transparency and accountability within government ranks as well as a toxic culture that prevents whistleblowers from coming forward with integrity issues, Ms Hunter thought it appropriate to put a call-out encouraging public servants to put their hand up to help Professor Peter Coaldrake conduct his review.
In the letter Ms Hunter told public servants wanting to help to send their resumes to the Public Sector Reform Office’s Peter McKay.
The Public Sector Reform Office sits within the Department of Premier and Cabinet.
Mr McKay was seconded to the office from the Public Service Commission where he was deputy commissioner in 2018.
Ms Hunter said Professor Coaldrake was seeking a “small, dynamic team to support the review” and that “the ability to work quickly with limited supervision in pursuit of clear, common objectives will be paramount”.
She went on to say she was “keen to get the right people regardless of grade or background”.
In essence, what Ms Hunter was advocating for, was for public servants to investigate themselves.
And that goes to the core of all of the government’s integrity issues.
The fact the Premier’s most senior public servant thought that was appropriate is mind-boggling.
Not surprisingly, Ms Hunter’s letter raised concerns the PSC would be picking staff to assist Professor Coaldrake in his four-month independent review.
To her credit as soon as Ms Palaszczuk heard of the correspondence, she acted decisively.
“The Premier has made it clear that Professor Coaldrake can second whoever he wants and his support staff should not include public servants,” a spokesman for Ms Palaszczuk said.
Hopefully the actions of Ms Hunter don’t chip away at the review’s credibility or deter public servants and whistleblowers considering coming forward from doing so.
IT’S TIME TO GET BACK TO NORMAL
Next month ushers in a new era in Queensland’s quest to truly “live with Covid”.
Masks will no longer be mandated in most Queensland venues from March 4 – although sensibly, they will still be required on public transport and in hospitals – and density limits will be scrapped.
School assemblies and excursions are back on the table, and there will no longer be a cap on the number of people Queenslanders can have in their own homes. It’s the closest Queensland has been to the freedoms enjoyed during the pre-Covid era in a very long time.
The Queensland government must be applauded for its commonsense approach to the Omicron outbreak, which unfortunately coincided with the state opening up.
But the government held the line, and resisted the temptation to shut-out the rest of the world.
Now, the green shoots of hope are appearing. And at the same time, new studies out of the US have shown that three doses of the Covid vaccine are enough to protect most people from serious illness and death for a long time.
So there is hope that Queenslanders will not be subjected to an endless cycle of Covid vaccinations. However, it is the vaccine that has put Queensland in the enviable position of being able to live with the virus.
While sadly, 468 Queenslanders have died with the virus since the outbreak, we have not seen the many thousands of deaths other countries across the world have endured. It is now time to enjoy our freedoms, while exercising some personal responsibility to stay safe.
