Editor’s View: Qld public servants let down by leadership

It’s been almost two years since the state government accepted Professor Peter Coaldrake’s blueprint for reinvigorating the public service. How’s it going? Not well, writes the editor.

It is now almost a full two years since Professor Peter Coaldrake handed the state government his blueprint for reinvigorating the public service, which then-premier Annastacia Palaszczuk immediately accepted “lock stock and barrel”.

How are things going? Not well, according to the latest annual Working for Queensland survey, which gauges the climate and attitude of public servants.

In broad terms, public servants’ sentiment across a range of areas – from their thoughts on senior executives to career prospects – is largely unchanged since last year.

And in fairness, cultural change does take time, particularly in an organisation as big as the state’s public service – with its 250,000-strong workforce. The task is the human resources’ equivalent of turning around an oil tanker.

In addition, the data in the latest survey was collected between August and September last year, before many of the key elements of Coaldrake’s recommendations had been bedded down – and when Ms Palaszczuk was still in charge.

Professor Peter Coaldrake. File picture

But it is worth noting that those tasked with designing and then implementing the Coaldrake reforms have not exactly been attacking the job with urgency.

Indeed, it was only last month that Premier Steven Miles released the Coaldrake report-inspired (yet blandly named) “Even better public sector for Queensland strategy”, which he claimed would “build greater public trust and confidence in the Queensland public sector and deliver better services and outcomes for all Queenslanders”.

Let’s hope so, because this latest survey shows there is a lot of work to do. For starters, only 30 per cent of public servants answered this year’s questionnaire, compared with 43 per cent last year. That low completion rate usually points to either indifferent staff or their leaders not being terribly keen to know what their underlings think.

Further, some of the results are disconcerting – to say the least.

For instance, only half of respondents answered in the positive when asked if their senior managers and executives communicated “a clear direction for the future of the organisation”.

It was the same response when asked if bosses “keep employees informed about what is going on”. Surely one of the fundamental building blocks for any well-functioning organisation is keeping your staff as fully informed as possible, not only of goals, but also your shared progress towards them.

Elsewhere, about 20 per cent of respondents said they felt burned out, with the figure perhaps understandably higher in the frontline services of health and police.

About the same number felt they had to work long hours to achieve their goals, and closer to 30 per cent said their work was “emotionally demanding”. Asked if they felt energised by their work, less than one in three respondents said yes.

This all suggests there are a significant number of stressed-out and unsatisfied public servants.

But there is a pathway. Almost two-thirds of respondents said they were proud of the work they did, and almost 80 per cent felt their work had a positive impact on the lives of Queenslanders.

That would confirm the public sector is full of public servants who want to do a good job and are proud of the work they do, but are being let down by lack of direction.

This should be the No. 1 task for Mike Kaiser, the Premier’s hand-picked top director-general.

AB GOES INTO BAT FOR GREATEST CHALLENGE

As any Australian cricket fan of a certain age knows, the great Allan Border loved a fight.

When the going got tough for the Australian Test team – as they frequently did during the mid-80s – batting legend Border was at his best, carrying his team on his back through sheer force of will.

Cricket great Allan Border has called on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to “do something” about Parkinson’s disease.

But there are some tests that cannot be overcome by just grit and determination, as the
68-year-old Queenslander is now discovering.

Border was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2016 – a diagnosis that he kept to himself until last year.

To coincide with World Parkinson’s Day today, he has delivered a powerful video message asking Health Minister Mark Butler and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to do more in the fight against Parkinson’s.

Border says in the video that a lot of people know about the disease, but not the impact it has.

“I remember when I was told, my first image was of Mohammed Ali lighting the Olympic torch. I just thought people with it suffered with a tremor,” he said.

Olivia Nassaris, CEO of Parkinson’s Australia, says the national advocacy group has put in a pre-budget submission to the federal government asking for funding of $2m. The disease costs the nation $10bn a year.

With an advocate such as Allan Border, we are sure the message will be heard. And we are sure he won’t give up.

Responsibility for election comment is taken by Chris Jones, corner of Mayne Rd & Campbell St, Bowen Hills, Qld 4006. Printed and published by NEWSQUEENSLAND (ACN 009 661 778). Contact details are available at www.couriermail.com.au/help/contact-us