http://www.crikey.com.au/2008/07/01/vic-staffers-code-of-conduct-be-nice-to-your-mp/ now with extra source Sun, 12 Feb 2012 00:58:05 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 http://www.crikey.com.au/2008/07/01/vic-staffers-code-of-conduct-be-nice-to-your-mp/#comment-3249 Dave Liberts Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000 #comment-3249 As a former (non-Victorian) electorate officer, I'd have to say this totally sucks despite all of its good intentions. The problem with it is that it makes all the demands on electorate officers without addressing the reasons for problems in the first place. A great example is factional involvement - I've seen numerous electorate staff in conflict with their MPs over factional issues. If the code was to be taken seriously, it would address that. Electorate staff work in a massive power imbalance, often with megalomaniacs, and must walk all of the tightropes that go with that. Shoving a code of conduct on them without considering the reasons why problems break out in the first place is really only creating another excuse to sack people who've probably done little to deserve this. As a former (non-Victorian) electorate officer, I’d have to say this totally sucks despite all of its good intentions. The problem with it is that it makes all the demands on electorate officers without addressing the reasons for problems in the first place. A great example is factional involvement - I’ve seen numerous electorate staff in conflict with their MPs over factional issues. If the code was to be taken seriously, it would address that. Electorate staff work in a massive power imbalance, often with megalomaniacs, and must walk all of the tightropes that go with that. Shoving a code of conduct on them without considering the reasons why problems break out in the first place is really only creating another excuse to sack people who’ve probably done little to deserve this.

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