Comments on: Rudd’s leak problem

By: JamesK

JamesK — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

Let’s not forget that there is a propensity for leaks from the shadow cabinet also. Quite frankly the Oakes and Milnes of the Canberra press gallery are way too powerful and unfortunately, patently, they see themselves as such. The relationship between the media and politicians in that isolated city is, I suggest, unhealthy (at least for the rest of us)!.

By: JohnJames

JohnJames — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

What’s interesting is that Rudd ‘blinked’ when having to stare down Nelson and now he’s in a knock down drag out political brawl and I dont think he has the experience or the temperament for this. Howard would have handled this very differently and., I think, more astutely. Swan and Rudd give me the impression they are making policy on the run. Having chastised Nelson for his “populism” they have cut and run. The reason these leaks are so interesting is that they reveal the ‘populism” of Swan and Rudd. If 6 monyhs into their first, and maybe last, term of government, they have been unable to hold their ground, the government is headed for a debacle. The sad thing is Australia will be the loser.

By: maybenot

maybenot — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

On the matter of ACCC advice, last year I read a proposal from the ACCC justifying their takeover of a state function and it was just terrible. They had a new recruit draw it together who looked at information sometimes years old and obtained off websites. When senior officials were asks to explain the rationale of the proposal, they couldn’t. The arguments and evidence cited made no snese to anyone and yet the ACCC put it forward and it was agreed to. Why anyone thinks this agency knows more than anyone else is laughable. Could be why Rudd keeps mentioning that he has taken their advice

By: Polly

Polly — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

You know, the leaking is bad. Rudd should be worried. It’s not good. But there is a really significant ray of sunshine here, and that’s that four government departments advised the government its policy was bad. I know it sounds mad to say that. But I was a senior bureaucrat in the Howard government and no one was allowed or game to tell the government when it’s policy was bad. I finally left the APS after a Deputy Secretary told me to pull material from a brief because it was critical of an idea from the PM’s office. The idea hadn’t been anounced, wasn’t an election commitment, and had not been remotely thught through. It was an unbelievably poor piece of policy, and I felt that it was imprtant that the government not proceed with it unless it was fully informed of the considerable risks. But the Dep Sec said “We know the PM’s office is keen on this and they won’t want to hear it”, and demanded I pull the material. He agreed to sign the brief as I didn’t want my name on it. This wasn’t the first instance of this. At the Department of Finance it was much, much worse. So if there is any consolation to be taken from this fiasco, it is that at least the APS seems once again to be ready to provide frank and fearless advice to the government of the day.

By: Damien Anderson

Damien Anderson — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

When I heard about the leak on the ABC news last night I wondered whether the PM regretted not flicking senior bureaucrats when elected so I’m glad Bernard made the point. There’s a reason for ritual bureaucratic blood letting, unpleasant as it is. The independent public service disappeared with the establishment of performance-based contracts for senior bureaucrats. It tied their futures to the success of their political masters. Consequently, the bureaucracy is a political animal and has been for at least 15 years. The real issue is the massive pea and thimble trick being played by the Opposition and, disappointingly, the Government. As if two cents or 3.8 cents or five cents per litre will make any diference to working families anyway - on a 50 litre refill a five cent reduction provides a $2.50 discount. If working families are that close to the edge, that reduction won’t help them for long. The sheer cynicism of this debate is startling. The complicity of the media in gee-ing the whole thing up is, as usual, just depressing.

By: David

David — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

A worthwhile contribution Bernard and fills in a few gaps for those of us not so familiar with the inner sanctuary. It has been a topic of conversation since the election, in this PS office. Rudd may rue the day he didnt clean out the Howard upper echelon PS’s. It appears it has come back to bite him. As you observe …”the less complicated scenario is that the Government’s failure to clean out the Howard loyalists from the upper echelons of the Public Service has yielded its first fruit.” It is rumoured carpenters were called to Rudd’s office to repair damage to a wall this morning. If whoever leaked the document to Oakes is ever discovered, well it could be a fate not worth contemplating.
Enjoyed reading the contributions of Polly and Damien, very instructive.

By: Mmm

Mmm — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

yeah, great grist, not the ministers after all eh. Have a relative somewhere in PMC there, never leaks me anything, damn it. Know better than to ask too, he’s got a bunch of kids to feed. How did Tim Costello resist the temptation?