‘Enthusiastic young loyalists’: Qld public sector probe exposes ‘systemic issues’

A review into the culture and accountability of the Queensland public sector has painted a picture of the “systemic issues” uncovered in the two months since Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk commissioned it amid a wave of integrity questions plaguing her third-term government.

Professor Peter Coaldrake AO, who is conducting the four-month review, highlighted concerns with ministerial staff overreach — some of which was attributed to “enthusiastic young loyalists” fresh from political parties or unions — and the “artistic obscuring” of lobbying efforts.

Professor Peter Coaldrake has handed down the interim report of his Review of culture and accountability in the Queensland public sector.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen / Matt Dennien

The review, which has been accepting public submissions and conducting interviews, was told of one occasion where a person employed by a consulting firm had negotiated a “success fee” for their work because they “did not technically fall under the definition of a ‘lobbyist’.”

Such fees, paid to a person by their employer or a third-party lobbying firm for landing a favourable outcome, were banned by then-premier Anna Bligh in 2010. Concerns raised at the time remain that those who did not fit the strict definition of a lobbyist could slip through gaps in the regulation.

“Registered lobbyists have been variously estimated as representing around 20 per cent of the total number of people involved in lobbying,” Coaldrake wrote in his interim report, published on Thursday afternoon.

Coaldrake also highlighted to the “artistic obscuring” of details given by the third parties now required to be registered to lobby government on behalf of clients in the official contact log, in a nod to recent reporting by this masthead about the opaque labels used to categorise lobbying attempts.

He also warned that the “dual roles” of some party-aligned lobbyists could leave the public “sceptical about even the strongest protections”. But he held back from making any recommendations — including around the structure of the Integrity Commissioner’s advisory and regulatory roles — until his final report due in June.

Coaldrake wrote that the public sector had in recent generations been “weakened” by the rising influence of ministerial advisors and the widespread use of external consultants which often poach experienced public officials.

One director-general told the review that a condition should be attached to all major outsourced work that it should “build in behind it” the capability of department officials. But ministerial staff came under significant scrutiny as well.

He said the review had heard of senior public servants directing others about the way information should be channelled to their minister, including one case in which a director-general took steps to prevent a report “reaching the minister’s ears” so they could deny knowledge of the matter.

In many cases, this overreach appeared to take the form of senior public servants anticipating what a minister wanted to be told or assuming they would rather remain “protected” from things, in echoes of the Crime and Corruption Commission report into the appointment of the Inner City South State Secondary College principal from 2020.

The review also heard of ministerial staffers appropriating the authority of their ministers in directing public servants, and an erosion of the “important division” between staffers’ protective instincts and the impartiality obligations of public officials.

“There is also the issue, inherent across jurisdictions, that significant numbers of ministerial staffers are enthusiastic young loyalists who have little other life experience aside from a university Labor or Liberal club or trade union office,” he said. “The enthusiasm and energy they bring to these advice roles are to be admired, but their youthful vigour can be guided by experienced supervision.”

Coaldrake said the next phase of the review would consider what steps, if any, were needed to ensure the ministerial staff code of conduct “has teeth and is observed”, along with the effectiveness of oversight by parliament committees and the government’s timeline for a flagged review of whistleblower laws.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk will return from leave on Anzac Day to questions about the fresh scrutiny by Coaldrake. In a statement, acting Premier Steven Miles said all ministers and staff were expected to abide by their codes of conduct and that in-house lobbying required “close scrutiny”.

Opposition Leader David Crisafulli labelled the initial findings as “alarming” and said only a royal commission had the power to further explore and address the issues raised.

The review will accept further submissions until May 16. A final report is expected within two months.

The Morning Edition newsletter is your guide to the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up here.