Editorial: Is 260k public servants too many, too few or just right?

For all we know, 260,000 public servants – and growing – might be exactly the right number for Queensland. But we can guarantee no one knows for sure, writes The Editor.

Queensland has nearly 260,000 state public servants – and that is an awful lot of votes, which is why Labor has spent much of its decade in power trying to paint the LNP as the public servant’s worst nightmare.

But it’s also why Opposition Leader David Crisafulli keeps insisting there will be no repeat of the big job losses – about 14,000 in total – seen during the 2½ years that Campbell Newman was premier, should the LNP regain office on October 26.

Mr Crisafulli has adopted Labor’s argument that Queensland’s demographics will continue to demand more public servants, not fewer – more teachers and doctors and nurses and other frontline staff.

But how much longer can the Queensland public service just keep growing and growing?

When Mr Newman embarked on his job-shedding strategy after winning office in 2012, it was all about cost-cutting and bringing new efficiencies into the public service.

But as soon as Labor’s Annastacia Palaszczuk unexpectedly won government in 2015, it was all about improving government services by hiring more frontline staff and improving terms and conditions of workers. This was a Labor government, after all.

Three successful elections in, and the Labor government now led by Steven Miles has pretty much abandoned any pretence of prudent financial management, with its strategy of boosting borrowing to record levels to pay for the state’s ever-growing day-to-day running costs.

Even if you accept the government’s ultimately unsustainable growth management strategies – to keep hiring staff to meet demand and to keep borrowing to pay for it – what’s missing, and has been for years, is any substantial review of how effectively the Queensland public sector actually does its job.

In early 2022, then premier Palaszczuk commissioned Professor Peter Coaldrake to review culture and accountability in the Queensland public sector in the wake of growing concerns about ethical standards.

The government received his final report in June 2022, but even now, more than two years later, it is still struggling to bed down the report’s recommendations – which Ms Palaszczuk had promised to accept “lock, stock and barrel”.

In other words, even with a plain-English road map in its hands, the government is having trouble dealing with such basic issues as how to handle complaints, and how to get government agencies to work effectively together.

It has not even started on such nuts-and-bolts questions as reviewing existing operations to see if they are fit for purpose. For all we know, 260,000 public servants – and growing – might be exactly the right number for Queensland.

But we can guarantee no one knows for sure, because no one’s done anything resembling a root- and-branch review of government services in living memory.

While we think Mr Crisafulli should be telling Queenslanders more about the sort of government he plans to lead, we also understand the politics of why he wants to say as little as possible about his plans for the public service.

But the reality is he can’t possibly be hoping to inherit Labor’s laissez-fair approach to debt-funding staffing increases in the expectation that it’s a sustainable strategy.

And, unlikely though it is before the election, Labor really does need to start explaining its plans for getting the state’s debt back under control.

GET FREE SHOT WHILE YOU CAN

Queenslanders are dying from the flu – yet no one wants to get vaccinated to prevent it.

It’s not the fault of the Queensland government, who quite literally can’t give the vaccine away.

A four-year-old girl is among the 72 Queenslanders who have lost their lives to the virus this year.

A total of 670 children have been hospitalised, as well as 1584 adults aged 18 to 65 and 1908 elderly people.

It is ripping through schools and infecting entire families – and, the thing is, we were all warned.

On July 8 in The Sunday Mail, Chief Health Officer John Gerrard revealed 20 children were being hospitalised every day.

It was the day before school started back for the term, and he was extremely worried about what would happen when it resumed.

“We can halt that momentum if people get their free flu vaccine now. It is not too late to get vaccinated,” he pleaded.

Since then, Mr Gerrard, Health Minister Shannon Fentiman and even Premier Steven Miles have implored Queenslanders to get the vaccine – which is free in this state.

But only 10 per cent of the 4162 people hospitalised with influenza this year have been immunised.

The season has not peaked yet.

Now is the time to get vaccinated to protect yourself – and your loved ones.

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 here

Originally published as Editorial: Is 260k public servants too many, too few or just right?