16 February, 2012
Melbourne Talk Radio Drive Show
with Luke Grant
16 February 2012
4:45pm
E & OE
Subject: Senate Estimates – government waste and maladministration
LUKE GRANT:
We’ve got Senator Mitch Fifield on the line, he’s Shadow Minister for Disabilities, Carers and the Voluntary Sector, Manager of Opposition Business in the Senate. Senate Estimates are interesting for lots of reasons very often we get to find the truth out about stuff. I’m delighted to say the Senator is on the line to give us a little look back at what happened this week at Estimates. Senator, good afternoon.
MITCH FIFIELD:
Good afternoon Luke.
GRANT:
Nice to talk to you. You uncovered a couple of dodgy contracts too through the week, didn’t you?
FIFIELD:
There were a few concerning things, Luke. We found out today that the Federal Government have let out a $55,000 contract to teach public servants how to write.
GRANT:
Hang on, you can’t be serious! How to write? How did they get a job in the first place?
FIFIELD:
That’s right. You’re talking about people who are tertiary educated, who are earning $100 grand plus a year, and they’re having to be taught how to write letters for ministers and how to write briefs for ministers. Now you would have thought that in the Commonwealth Department of Families and Community Services – which is the Department in question – with 3,000 staff, that there might be someone who has the capacity to teach new staff how to write letters and how to write briefs. It’s extraordinary.
GRANT:
They could have got someone from the PM’s Office. They’re good at writing acceptance speeches and all sorts of things.
FIFIELD:
That’s right Julia Gillard’s office has a lot of experience writing all sorts of things!
GRANT:
Apparently so! Now what’s this ‘negotiating with unions training workshop.’ Now this is red hot, this one.
FIFIELD:
We’ll find out more about that one later this afternoon. There’s a contract, this time with the Department of Human Services, where $17,000 is being paid for a two-day seminar that’s really barrister’s rates to teach public servants how to negotiate with unions. I’ll have the opportunity to ask about that tonight at Estimates, and we’ll find out what’s at the heart of that. But I’ve got to say, at face value, it looks pretty pricey to me.
GRANT:
I think you’re being generous! But the most amazing thing, I’ve got to say Senator when I was filling in for Steve Price over Christmas we raised the notion of ‘social inclusion’ – and the idea that the Minister wasn’t exactly able to say what it mean. And we had someone from the Department ring us and say ‘we’ll come on tomorrow and tell you what it means.’ That never happened. They found a hole to hide in. But you’ve had a bit to do this week, haven’t you?
FIFIELD:
That’s right. At the end of the last year when Mark Butler was appointed the Minister for Social Inclusion, he was asked, ‘what does that mean? What is your portfolio?’ And he said, ‘well, social inclusion means different things to different people.’ So I asked at Estimates earlier in the week whether Minister Butler had received what’s called a Charter Letter. It’s a letter that the Prime Minister sends to each Minister, shortly after they’re sworn in, and it’s really their job description, their work program, their KPIs.
And lo and behold, it’s several months after Mark Butler was sworn in, and he hasn’t received his riding instructions. He’s still sitting at his desk, waiting for his riding instructions.
GRANT:
‘What do I do!’
FIFIELD:
So he can answer the question what his job is.
GRANT:
Well he’s got plenty of time though, Mitch. He’s got plenty of time to see Mr Rudd and Ms Gillard when they make their visit late at night now.
FIFIELD:
That’s right he certainly does. But look, it’s just basic administrative incompetence, and you’ve got to ask yourself, what sort of show these people are running? You’ve got ministers sitting at their desks, not knowing what they’ve got to do. And if there’s anyone who is in desperate need of a charter letter to tell him what his role is, it’s Minister Butler.
GRANT:
Very good, I appreciate your time. Thanks so much. That’s Senator Mitch Fifield.
ENDS