In August this year, Nine News political editor Chris Uhlmann tweeted a picture outside a toilet in the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet telling users to “please use the bathroom that best fits your gender identity”.
The tweet sent politicians and conservative media pundits into meltdown. Scott Morrison quickly took to 2GB that afternoon to assure listeners that he would “sort out” the “over the top” sign.
Now, internal emails obtained by The Sydney Morning Herald under freedom of information laws reveal that a number of senior bureaucrats were forced to work overtime to stem the toilet trouble.
These people included PM&C deputy secretary (economic) Dr David Gruen (one of our country’s leading economists and G20 sherpa), as well as deputy secretary (industry and jobs) Simon Duggan.
Crikey took a closer look at the hours Australia’s top political minds pulled to work out how much public money was spent on this public relations fiasco.
Uhlmann sent out his tweet at 2.48pm on August 28. It was quickly picked up by 2GB radio host Ben Fordham on his afternoon drive show. So let’s start the clock at 3pm.
The Herald didn’t say which public servants were CC’d in the first email sent around the office while Fordham blasted the toilet sign on air, but provided a shopping list of the deputy secretaries, first assistant secretaries and a chief of staff who were allegedly drawn into correspondence at some point that afternoon. Their salaries range between $200,000 and $450,000, according to the department’s award rates.
Most probably ended the day at 6pm. But emails reveal that Gruen, Duggan, first assistant secretary Brenton Goldsworthy and chief economic adviser Jason McDonald were discussing the issue between 9pm and 10pm.
Taking all this into account, Crikey estimates the government spent roughly $3000 on these bureaucrat’s salaries while they were responding to the toilet door.
Talk about an expensive photo.
12 thoughts on “Toiletgate: how much money did the government waste fighting a toilet door sign?”
sharman
November 25, 2019 at 12:47 pmHow much did you spend covering this non story?
Jan Loh
November 25, 2019 at 1:03 pmWhy was Chris Uhlmann hanging around the women’s toilets with a camera?
Draco Houston
November 25, 2019 at 1:16 pm2 kinds of virtue signalling collide, collapsing under the sheer lameness of it all, becoming a brown hole.
sharman
November 25, 2019 at 1:19 pmCrikey used to break good stories when Stephen Mayne ran it
Mark Dunstone
November 25, 2019 at 2:02 pmIn don’t think the sums add up. Firstly, people at that level don’t get paid overtime, so there was no addition monetary cost to the government from their additional hours of labour. Secondly, the relevant bods are all blokes so it is highly unlikely the late night paid work displaced unpaid housework or childraising work (though it is possible). It is also unlikely they had second jobs. The uncounted opportunity cost might have been a forgone night out on the town with friends, a night in with lovers, or a bottle of wine not enjoyed.
And thirdly, the unpaid cost (like housework or child rearing), is not counted by economists or this government and therefore is not relevant.
Ken.T.
November 25, 2019 at 2:29 pmSounds like a storm in a dunny bowl! man is man and woman is woman. I’ll stick with the gender assigned at birth, thank you. It has served me well for 80 odd years.
If push comes to shove I will use a shovel and a tree!!
mark e smith
November 25, 2019 at 3:07 pmA perfect story for a man of Uhlmann’s talent.
Dog's Breakfast
November 25, 2019 at 3:28 pmUhlmann probably thought he was onto some big scoop on this. You have to question the motives of a journalist bothering to stir up this bullshit.
FWIW, their salaries wouldn’t have cost a cent, they don’t get overtime. It probably sapped them of some will to live, all to appease a very petty man.
It saddens me that Gruen might have spent a penny on this. He’s a giant in this land of intellectual umm, height challenged people.
Robert Garnett
November 25, 2019 at 5:01 pmSo I suppose we are now going to mimic the US when we talk about “going to the bathroom” when we actually mean the lavatory or toilet.
The Australian cultural cringe is getting greater.
Woopwoop
November 25, 2019 at 5:35 pmExactly – that word is the real scandal here.
Sydney or the Bush
November 25, 2019 at 7:19 pmIn my unsewered schooldays an indoor dunny was luxury, sheer luxury. You never asked where the bathroom was, but like Oates announced that ‘ I’m going outside, I may be some time.’ The problem with asking for the toilet or the the lavatory was that I could never remember which term was U and which was non U.
Jimbo from Logan
November 26, 2019 at 10:13 amSo what does the sign say now? “PM&C is NOT committed to staff inclusion and diversity” ?