Opinion: Why we’re still paying for Newman’s public servant purge

The narrative that the public service is a bloated, unnecessary expense has worked to the state’s detriment, writes Robert Schwarten. VOTE IN OUR POLL

It should not be a surprise that the big consultants have tightened the noose around governments everywhere.

After all, since the time of Menzies the Liberals have been preaching “small government”, while sections of the media have told taxpayers they are funding a bureaucracy of tea-drinking arse-sitting bumbling public servants.

Add to that the fact the ratings agencies punish any government that dares to increase the number of employees on its books, and you can see how it happens.

We have ended up with what some wished for – a public service that struggles to deliver public service, but with a wink here and a nod there buys in the necessary expertise. Or so they think.

I once ran into a former Labor ministerial staffer who skited that he was paid three times what he had been paid as a public servant by one of these firms.

Having seen his judgment and political nous first-hand, I remain convinced that if he was paid according to results he would be better off on the dole.

Campbell Newman took the chainsaw to the public service tree a decade ago – and the public servants in the state housing and public works department, with whom I had the pleasure and privilege to work, were the first to go under his purge.

With them went hundreds of collective years of corporate knowledge and capacity.

Nowadays that advice more than likely is “bought” in.

The real problem now is where does a government suddenly get a workforce of experienced and competent servants.

That cannot be materialised overnight.

The merits of rehiring this expertise from the big firms is debatable, but also likely impossible due to the difference in offered salaries.

Small government used to mean cutting public service expenditure.

It now means shifting public money off the books away from prying eyes.

Casual employees, labour-hire and other such non-permanent positions are also employed to fool the ratings agencies.

Thankfully Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has started to turn back the tide by announcing the creation of 1000 public sector positions.

In Queensland, the Palaszczuk Government has set about ending public-sector casual and temporary employment.

But it is a long road ahead to reverse the reliance on external parties and take it to a more reasonable level.

The enemies of permanent public servant increases will, meanwhile, continue their disinformation campaign.

Robert Schwarten was a Beattie Labor government minister