'Frank and fearless' advice harder to give in current environment
It's more difficult for public servants to give frank and fearless advice without it being politicised, according to one of the panel members of the independent review of the public service.
Sydney University Chancellor Belinda Hutchinson has also signalled that the relationship between ministerial offices and the public service will be a focus of the review when it reveals new research this month.
"I think it’s more challenging for our public service to be frank and fearless in its advice, take risks and learn from failure in the current environment," Ms Hutchinson said.
"It’s very difficult today to give advice without it being politicised. The service operates in a public conversation where there seems to be limited focus on listening and respectful debate."
The comments, made in an interview on the review's website, were made not long after Labor warned parts of the public service were being politicised, risking public faith in government.
Ms Hutchinson said the review had commissioned research by the Australian New Zealand School of Government (ANZSOG) in four areas, including one with "really interesting insights into interactions between the service and its ministers".
"I have been surprised by the growth in ministerial staff. I knew this was happening but wasn’t aware of the scale," Ms Hutchinson said.
Ms Hutchinson's career has mainly been in the private sector, although she has also been on an advisory board for the Department of Treasury and met with the heads of departments in her role as president of Chief Executive Women.
She said she has witnessed a strong sense of mission among the public service.
"The vast majority of our public servants do their job to serve the nation and it’s that sense of purpose which contributes to the delivery of good policy, regulation and services," Ms Hutchinson said.
"The review has, however, identified a number of significant internal and external impediments to the public service being able to deliver to the very best of its ability. There is clearly no silver bullet, no single thing which will overcome these impediments - otherwise they would have already been implemented."