Public Service Commissioner quits $678,000 job amid questions over IPA links

Updated June 04, 2018 16:40:54

Photo: Outgoing Australian Public Service Commissioner John Lloyd will step down in August. (Supplied: Parliament of Australia)

One of Australia's most senior and highly paid public servants has resigned amid questions over his conduct and allegations of bias.

The Public Service Commissioner John Lloyd was appointed to the role by the Abbott government in December 2014, but has advised the Governor-General he will be stepping down from his $678,000 job in August.

Mr Lloyd was responsible for ensuring the bureaucracy complied with its code of conduct and met professional standards.

He has proven a controversial figure in the federal public service due to his links to the right-wing think tank, the Institute of Public Affairs (IPA), and association with the Government's unpopular wage and staffing caps.

In January, the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet referred an allegation that Mr Lloyd breached the Public Service Code of Conduct to the agency's watchdog, the Merit Protection Commissioner, Mark Davidson.

The department did not make a judgement on whether the allegation was true, but there was a view that it was serious enough to be considered by the watchdog who makes sure the code of conduct is adhered to.

When the allegation was referred, Mr Davidson was only acting in the role. Given the allegation involved one of Australia's most senior and highly paid public servants, Mr Davidson wanted the decision to be made once a permanent commissioner had been appointed.

But by mid-March, Mr Davidson was still acting in the role and he knew it wasn't a good look to sit on an allegation for four months, so he asked a former department secretary to help him consider whether a formal investigation was necessary.

At this stage, it is not known what the allegation is, or who made it, but Labor and the unions have been very critical of Mr Lloyd's ongoing correspondence with members of the Institute of Public Affairs.

In a statement, a spokesman for Mr Lloyd said his decision to retire was not "influenced by recent events".

"Mr Lloyd had for some time been contemplating resigning before the end of his term as APS Commissioner," the spokesman said.

"The timing suited Mr Lloyd and his family."

Lloyd's departure welcomed by unions

Before Mr Lloyd was appointed by the Abbott government, he was the director of the work reform and productivity unit at the IPA.

He has repeatedly defended his ongoing correspondence with the organisation as appropriate when pressed by Labor senators during estimates hearings.

The Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has thanked Mr Lloyd for his service, while the Australian Unions twitter account responded to the news with one word: "Good".

Mr Lloyd was appointed by former public service minister Eric Abetz, who issued a statement saying he was saddened by the resignation.

"In my time as the Public Service Minister, Mr Lloyd was highly effective in ensuring the public service was a more efficient and effective body that taxpayers could have confidence in," Mr Abetz said.

"His diligent work assisted the Government to reduce the size of government while ensuring a high calibre of service to the Australian public continued to be delivered."

Community and Public Sector Union secretary Nadine Flood welcomed Mr Lloyd's resignation and accused him of debasing his office.

"Mr Lloyd used his position to promote his ideological preoccupations, which has had a terrible effect on staff and on the ability of the public service to provide critical services to the public," she said.

"Mr Lloyd has undermined collective bargaining and interfered with agencies' ability to reach fair deals with their staff, meaning that thousands and thousands of people had their incomes frozen for several years — and some still do even now."

Mr Lloyd's last day will be August 8.

Topics: federal-government, government-and-politics, australia

First posted June 04, 2018 14:01:03