Abbott blows spin budget sky high

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ScreenHunter_1809 Mar. 26 08.44

By Leith van Onselen

The Canberra Times is reporting today on the explosion of “spin doctors” in the Federal Government’s ranks, which have reportedly risen by 300 to 1,900 since 2012:

The federal government’s ”army” of spin doctors and communications staff has grown to more than 1900, based on data supplied by departments and agencies.

An analysis of answers to questions on notice supplied to a Senate committee shows staffers in government media, communications and marketing operations have increased by several hundred in two years and could be costing taxpayers as much as $190 million a year…

Senator Abetz, in opposition in 2012, railed against the ”battalion” of communications workers when numbers hovered around the 1600 mark, alleging the figures highlighted the Gillard government’s ”concentration on spin”.

So, while the Australian Treasury is seeking to shed nearly one-in-three employees by 2017, reducing its staff from around 1,000 staff to 700, the Coalition has loaded itself up with spin doctors. Ending the age of entitlement needs some strong selling, clearly.

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With the growing legions of political staffers and spin doctors, there is also the risk that the independence of the public service will be further diminished, leading to poor policy that is against the nation’s economic interest.

As argued by the Business Council of Australia’s Jennifer Westacott in 2012, not only do ministerial adviser numbers need to be slashed, but there needs to be a mandatory code of conduct implemented prohibiting advisers from directing public servants:

Ms Westacott, a former senior bureaucrat in NSW and Victoria, believes the public sector has lost its independence and integrity.

Political staffers, often with little expertise and accountability, were undermining the public sector and eroding the long-term policy agenda with short-term thinking, she said…

”It opens the door on a culture of intimidation and bullying of public servants, an environment where merit can be substituted for favouritism,” she said.

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The politicisation of the public service has been a growing concern over the past decade. And judging by the Coalition’s action above, it appears the situation is unlikely to change anytime soon.

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About the author
Leith van Onselen is Chief Economist at the MB Fund and MB Super. He is also a co-founder of MacroBusiness. Leith has previously worked at the Australian Treasury, Victorian Treasury and Goldman Sachs.