The South Australian Political Landscape

[Gozu]

A bit harsh!

OPPOSITION Leader Isobel Redmond is standing firm in the face of internal calls for her to resign after a gaffe over public service cuts, claiming she retains full party support.

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/sout ... 6473503757

[Dogwatcher]

Labor will milk this all they can.

[bulldogproud2]

ABC news reported that we have 101000 public servants in SA. That's almost one in ten per head of population. Redmond probably has a point that we have too many with their snouts in the trough.
I agree - clean out 25000 freeloaders.

Yes, but most of those are either police, teachers, nurses or emergency service workers.
Which of the services do you want to eliminate - the police force, the health system or the education system.

Freeloaders are still freeloaders in any of those industries.

And thanks for the extremism - eliminate those industries is hardly what anyone is proposing.

Not a prob. Yes, it was an exaggeration. However, to cut 25 000 jobs from the public service would mean that there would have to be cuts in at least one of those services - areas that are already understaffed.
Further, taking 25 000 jobs out of the economy also results in less revenue for businesses as there is less disposable income in the economy. This would increase unemployment, and quite likely to about 7 or 8%. Is this really what South Australia needs at the moment - higher unemployment, reduced services and businesses going to the wall as a result?

Cheers

[Sky Pilot]

The alternative is that we taxpayers have to go on supporting an overcrowded and largely incompetent public service. So why should my tax dollars go to some drop kick fat-arsed public servant in some anonymous department which does as little as possible.

[dedja]

Labor will milk this all they can.

They'd be stupid not to ...

[am Bays]

The alternative is that we taxpayers have to go on supporting an overcrowded and largely incompetent public service. So why should my tax dollars go to some drop kick fat-arsed public servant in some anonymous department which does as little as possible.

I'll remember that Sunday moring when I'm in my public service office doing extras in order to meet expected outcomes as what happens in private enterprise...

[dedja]

The alternative is that we taxpayers have to go on supporting an overcrowded and largely incompetent public service. So why should my tax dollars go to some drop kick fat-arsed public servant in some anonymous department which does as little as possible.

I'll remember that Sunday moring when I'm in my public service office on my fat arse doing extras in order to meet expected outcomes as what happens in private enterprise...

edited for accuracy ...

[Sky Pilot]

The alternative is that we taxpayers have to go on supporting an overcrowded and largely incompetent public service. So why should my tax dollars go to some drop kick fat-arsed public servant in some anonymous department which does as little as possible.

I'll remember that Sunday moring when I'm in my public service office on my fat arse doing extras in order to meet expected outcomes as what happens in private enterprise...

edited for accuracy ...

What does that mean? My last two posts disappeared?

[Hondo]

We have 85000 full time equivalent public servants out of the total 101000 head count

With isobel backing away from her 65000 figure she must be closer to Weatherill's target of 78000 so they seem on similar pages but Labor can now play up the fear campaign in collaboration with the unions.

As Skypilot said they make up a big % of the voting public so she needs to tread carefully regardless of what generalizations non-public servants want to make about them.

[Sky Pilot]

Labor will milk this all they can.

They'd be stupid not to ...

I'll try again...yes this is a free kick to Jay's Socialists. It still doesn't mean she was wrong though

[Hondo]

It's the sort of bad news announcement you make after you win the election

Oh you know once we got into office we realized things were worse than we thought etc etc

[Sky Pilot]

The alternative is that we taxpayers have to go on supporting an overcrowded and largely incompetent public service. So why should my tax dollars go to some drop kick fat-arsed public servant in some anonymous department which does as little as possible.

I'll remember that Sunday moring when I'm in my public service office doing extras in order to meet expected outcomes as what happens in private enterprise...

If you are a diligent effective public servant then you have nothing to fear I would have thought. Working on Sunday morning to play catch up in private enterprise is generally regarded by upper management as just part of the job. Nothing out of the ordinary. The fact you raised it as an issue suggests you resent the intrusion on your private life. Mmmmm,

[am Bays]

[If you are a diligent effective public servant then you have nothing to fear I would have thought. Working on Sunday morning to play catch up in private enterprise is generally regarded by upper management as just part of the job. Nothing out of the ordinary. The fact you raised it as an issue suggests you resent the intrusion on your private life. Mmmmm,

No I raised it as a counter arguement to your generalisation if I was concerned about the intrusion on my social life I wouldn't have bothered particpating in this "debate". You made the assertion we are all lazy. I provided a counter evidence and it just isn't me as I walked out at 17:30 my boss was still there doing what she had to do to complete her objectives.

Bottom line the public service is very much like private enterprise. There are lazy people and there are are incompetent people. These people get weeded out. Don't get fooled by ongoing tenure, if they want to get rid of you they will. There is also the majority of public servants who work damn hard and do extra as what happens in most fields of professional life.

[scoob]

[If you are a diligent effective public servant then you have nothing to fear I would have thought. Working on Sunday morning to play catch up in private enterprise is generally regarded by upper management as just part of the job. Nothing out of the ordinary. The fact you raised it as an issue suggests you resent the intrusion on your private life. Mmmmm,

No I raised it as a counter arguement to your generalisation if I was concerned about the intrusion on my social life I wouldn't have bothered particpating in this "debate". You made the assertion we are all lazy. I provided a counter evidence and it just isn't me as I walked out at 17:30 my boss was still there doing what she had to do to complete her objectives.

Bottom line the public service is very much like private enterprise. There are lazy people and there are are incompetent people. These people get weeded out. Don't get fooled by ongoing tenure, if they want to get rid of you they will. There is also the majority of public servants who work damn hard and do extra as what happens in most fields of professional life.

That convinces me... your boss was still working at 5.30!

[Sky Pilot]

[If you are a diligent effective public servant then you have nothing to fear I would have thought. Working on Sunday morning to play catch up in private enterprise is generally regarded by upper management as just part of the job. Nothing out of the ordinary. The fact you raised it as an issue suggests you resent the intrusion on your private life. Mmmmm,

No I raised it as a counter arguement to your generalisation if I was concerned about the intrusion on my social life I wouldn't have bothered particpating in this "debate". You made the assertion we are all lazy. I provided a counter evidence and it just isn't me as I walked out at 17:30 my boss was still there doing what she had to do to complete her objectives.

Bottom line the public service is very much like private enterprise. There are lazy people and there are are incompetent people. These people get weeded out. Don't get fooled by ongoing tenure, if they want to get rid of you they will. There is also the majority of public servants who work damn hard and do extra as what happens in most fields of professional life.

Fair enough. I still think one in ten public servants to the population is outrageous and completely unsustainable. I firmly believe there are 1000's of them who shuffle irrevelant documents around in an attempt to justify their existence. A friend of mine sat on a committee for 12 weeks while they decided how far away from the entrances parents dropping off kids at schools needed to be. Their recommendations then went to another committee who framed up the document that went to legal before going to the traffic branch in SAPOL. Two blokes and a goldfish could have worked that policy out over a short lunch in the Woolies cafe

[am Bays]

Is it just in private enterprise where 101000:1650000 is considered 1:10?

http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/by+Subject/1367.0~2012~Main+Features~Estimated+Resident+Population~5.1

[am Bays]

Fair enough. I still think one in ten public servants to the population is outrageous and completely unsustainable. I firmly believe there are 1000's of them who shuffle irrevelant documents around in an attempt to justify their existence. A friend of mine sat on a committee for 12 weeks while they decided how far away from the entrances parents dropping off kids at schools needed to be. Their recommendations then went to another committee who framed up the document that went to legal before going to the traffic branch in SAPOL. Two blokes and a goldfish could have worked that policy out over a short lunch in the Woolies cafe

Ohh don't get me wrong I think thereare efficiencies that can be made or on the flip side greater productivity if decision making was made more simpe or executives were able to trust officers on the decisions they recommend to be made.

[Psyber]

Every teacher, nurse, or public service doctor I know believes there are far to many paper shufflers overseeing everything they do.
They also feel the demand for constant form-filling actually takes time away from doing their core job properly.
Teachers in particular have complained about having to submit teaching plans to clerks, forms to justify changing these plans, and reports afterwards to establish that they followed the plans, and if not explaining to clerks why not...

IIRC from the media, in the eastern states it has been stated that it is these people that the aim is to cut, along with those in propaganda departments.

[dedja]

Izzy's dead baby, Izzy's dead ...

[GWW]

We are over-represented in Parliament too.

When is Isobel going to advise us whether she intends on reducing the amount of MPs that "represent" us?

As has been mentioned, she is probably goneski. Whilst an intelligent lady, she is probably the most naive political leader I've ever known of.