In the responses to our poll on reducing the size of the public service we had a number of respondents who identified themselves as current or former public servants. I thought their forthrightness should be rewarded by dedicating a separate post to them.

There may be other respondents who were Queensland public servants, but unless they told me that they were, I have no way of knowing, so the have not been included.

So, in their own words, here are what public servants think.

I am a public servant and I know that there has been excessive employment of advisors and spin doctors and bureacratic systems like 'travel management' that should be trimmed with concentration on 'fat' top heavy departments like State Development that routinely and unfairly employ staff at higher levels to do the same job as more modestly paid officers in other Dept's. Male 55-64

I believe it's more a matter of wages than just the numbers. I have worked in and with the public service for many years. It's clear to me that public service wages are inflated for non-technical and bureaucratic roles. It's my observation that many people in these roles are not working to the level that I would expect for the money they receive, and the quality of leadership and management is extremely poor. Many projects are inadequately managed, resulting in outputs that are shelved or abandoned altogether - a disgusting waste of time and public money. Those sections of the public service that operate this way definitely need a clean out. This is not my observation for people in technical and professional roles. Female 45-54

I was one of the public servants to lose me job because of the cuts. I agree that the public service is too large, and there are people who are just doing busy work, I don't agree with the way in which it has been managed. Male 15-24

Bligh created a public service nightmare. I am a permanent public servant. In my previous department I worked with people who were on temp & casual contracts. Most wanted full time employment and these were ones who went interstate to get permanent jobs but there were heaps that preferred to stay on a temp basis because it suited their lifestyle, it enabled them to have secondary employment and their renumeration was higher than full time employees. Female 55-64

I am a Queensland public servant, and know that both staffing and expenses have been continuously reviewed and cut since the Goss government got into power in the late 1980s. Any cuts will damage the services that Queenslanders need, and I believe this is the real reason. Regulation and survelliance will nolonger be effective, and when community services break down, the government systems will be blamed, so that the services can be privatised or contracted out. Female 65-74

Being a public Servant, our work loads are high now, I also do not want to see the Queensland people suffer, because of this. Male 35-44

I worked in a building full of obese public servants and a lot did not seem to do anything at all. I can't comment - I think there are a lot of scams in private business (i KNOW there are a lot of scams), but I suspect there are some public servants who are useless too. Thast said, ambulance drivers, teachers, nurses and other useful ppl are public servants. Female 35-44

I am a public servant and during the period of the previous Govt I saw the staff levels increase at an exhorbitant rate by creating of jobs for the boys and appointment of outsider ALP party hacks to jobs over existing public servants. Until those party hacks are removed, this Govt does not stand a chance. Female 55-64

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