Government bodies ‘stacked’ with political appointments, Grattan Institute report finds

Australian politics has a growing “jobs for mates” culture that is undermining democracy a scathing new report has found, with stacking in some government bodies “especially evident”.

Australian politics has a growing “jobs for mates” culture that is undermining democracy, a scathing new report has found.

Federal and state government boards, tribunals and agencies are “stacked” with people who have worked in politics, almost always for the party in government at the time they got the job, analysis by the Grattan Institute has found.

Political appointees make up 21 per cent of the most well-paid, powerful and prestigious federal government board positions.

When it comes to government business boards specifically, such as Australia Post, more than one in five members have a political connection.

Half of the Productivity Commission’s board members have a political connection to the Coalition.

Australia Post is one of the bodies named in the report as having a number of political appointments. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Andrew Henshaw

The Grattan Institute report found political stacking is “especially evident” on the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT), an independent expert body tasked with reviewing government decisions on everything from child support to migration status.

AAT member salaries range from almost $200,000 to almost $500,000 a year.

Twenty per cent of the current 320 tribunal members have a direct political connection to the government that appointed them.

The report has argued the “problem” of jobs for mates on the tribunal was “getting worse”.

Political appointments to the AAT have grown substantially in the past five years, with many of these appointments made on “election eve” – in the lead up to the 2019 and 2022 federal elections.

The NSW corruption watchdog ICAC is currently weighing up investigation in the recent appointment of former deputy premier John Barilaro appointment to a $500,000-a-year New York trade job.

Former Deputy Premier John Barilaro is under scrutiny over his appointment for a trade posting overseas. Picture: NCA Newswire/ Gaye Gerard

Premier Dominic Perrottet ordered a review of how Mr Barilaro was controversially appointed to the plum posting after a senior public servant had already been identified as a “preferred candidate”.

Mr Barilaro was ultimately chosen for the Senior Trade Investment Commissioner job by Investment NSW chief executive Amy Brown.

Grattan Institute chief executive Danielle Wood said when “mateship prevails over merit” all of Australia suffered.

Grattan Institute CEO Danielle Wood.

“Of course not all political appointees are without merit, but politicising public appointments can compromise the performance of government agencies, promote a corrupt culture, and undermine public trust in the institutions of government,” she said.

The report calls on federal and state governments to establish a “transparent, merit-based selection process” for all public appointments, overseen by a new Public Appointments Commissioner.

Ms Wood said all positions should be advertised with specific selection criteria, with applicants then assessed by an independent panel and provide a shortlist to the minister, who would choose the successful candidate.

“This is a big problem, but it has an easy fix,” Ms Wood said.

“If the new federal government is serious about improving the way politics is done in Australia, it should set about ending the insidious jobs-for-mates culture – and the state and territory governments should get on board.”