PUBLIC SERVANTS AND THE BRIEFING OF PARTY COMMITTEES

Abstract: Politicians need information. In recent years the practice of public servants briefing party committees has been expanded to help fill that need. In part this was due to the increased influence of caucus committees under the Labor government, but the practice has continued. Public servants provide information and explanations of policy to government and opposition members, although in the latter case public servants have to tread carefully. In December 1976 the Prime Minister tabled guidelines to govern these briefings. This innovation has implications for the doctrines of public service neutrality, for ministerial responsibility and for the capacity of the opposition to develop workable policy. Despite the potential problems that may arise, it is a practice that, if used effectively, can only assist in the improvement of political debate.     

CLASSIFICATIONS OF PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEES

Abstract: Scrutiny committees of the Thirty-Third Parliament (1983-84) are classified as undertaking work in one or more of the following categories: legislation; nonlegislative policy; administrative oversight; and information systems for increased accountability. Only Senate committees scrutinise legislation. The majority of scrutiny committees examine non-legislative policy. In contrast, administrative oversight work (compliance and efficiency) is undertaken by a relatively small number of committees. Information systems for increased accountability are a special category and represent the work of several committees particularly in respect of statutory authorities. Reports on non-legislative policy and administrative oversight are classified against the functional classifications of expenditure used in Budget Statement No. 3. In seeking to explain limited policy scrutiny in areas such as taxation and social security and welfare, one cannot ignore the effects that the strategic priorities of adversary politics have on bi-partisan committee inquiry. From classification and related comment one can question whether there is insufficient scrutiny of legislation, insufficient oversight of the administration and too much policy scrutiny. This in turn opens up the broader question of the overall direction and scope of scrutiny committee activity.     

POLITICAL EDUCATION FOR PUBLIC SERVANTS

Incorporating democratic values into public administration education is not an easy task. To ignore democratic values completely, however, would be to tacitly condone the violation of these principles by an administrator thus making democracy training all the more essential. In this article, the ideas of the American Founders and the ideas of John Dewey regarding democracy in education are compared. It is the opinion of the author that the Founders and Dewey had such divergent views of teaching democracy precisely because they had very different definitions of democracy.     

THE MULTI-DIMENSIONAL NATURE OF ATTITUDES TOWARDS PUBLIC SERVANTS

Abstract: There is relatively little published research which assesses the public's attitudes toward public servants and public servants' attitudes toward themselves. In this study a 36 item semantic differential scale was designed and administered to 182 graduate clerks in the Australian Public Service late in 1974. A factor analysis of the responses gave nine independent dimensions of attitudes toward public servants, namely Orientation Toward Change; Trust and Reliability; Intellectual Orientation; Cooperativeness; Power and Strength; Interpersonal Relations; Stability; Decisiveness; and Work Orientation. The graduate clerks, when evaluating Australian public servants in relation to these dimensions, saw them as resistant to change, rule-bound, dull, indecisive, and lacking in the work ethic, although trustworthy, educated, helpful, friendly and secure. Are these perceptions accurate? Quite probably the images are a reasonable representation of what they have experienced in their first year's employment. In answer to the question are the attitudes of graduate clerks reflected in their behaviour, it could be pointed out that their attrition rate is quite high and over 40 per cent indicated dissatisfaction with their jobs. Perhaps, though, the graduate clerks expected too much of the public service at that time, and the portrait of the public service was not as negative as many critics would have expected.     

ACCESS OF PUBLIC SERVANTS TO AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRIAL TRIBUNALS: ATTITUDES OF GOVERNMENTS AND GOVERNMENT EMPLOYERS*

Abstract: Some recent cases in the arbitration tribunals involving strikes and work bans suggest that some governments and government employers are apprehensive about and resentful of the intrusion of the tribunals into their affairs. The Commonwealth government, for instance, recently amended the Public Service Act to remove what were seen as threats to the efficiency of the public service resulting from constraints imposed by the Arbitrator on the Public Service Board in relation to recruitment, selection and promotion. At the State level, the issues which arise in many public service strikes are not industrial in character, yet as the strike in almost all gaols in N.S.W. earlier this year illustrated, an industrial tribunal can help the conflicting parties reach an agreement. If, however, the tribunal fails in such efforts, it can do no more, where the issues are not industrial, than state its views about what is just and reasonable in the circumstances and perhaps recommend how the dispute should be resolved. Since 1974 the attitude of the N.S.W. Public Service Board toward this category of recommendations has hardened, as illustrated by the 1975 Teachers Case re Preference; the 1978 Prison Officers Case re Disciplinary Proceedings; and the 1978 Teachers Case re Disciplinary Proceedings. But while some governments and government employers fear that the discharge of their responsibilities is being impaired by industrial tribunals, they are nevertheless prompt in enlisting the aid of these bodies when in trouble and often find such aid indispensable. Governments and government employers will have to learn to live with the industrial tribunals, which, at the Commission level, are part of the judiciary and have an obligation to discharge their statutory responsibilities independent of the executive branch of government.