Roundhead89 said :

And I suppose all those stories about public servants not having enough work to do are an invention by the shock jocks and Murdoch newspapers …

“All thsoe stories’”? If you cant believe a rumour mill what can you believe? But yes . Public sevants are slackers, everyone else are jolly hard workers who are an example to us all.

I’d like to see someone replicate the artwork on another office window somewhere in Canberrra….

Best public art in Canberra in the last year or more. And for $10 – not $100,000.

On the upside, this thread has bought attention to the level of appreciation that the public has for random street art. The day just won’t be the same without walking past space invaders…

Genie said :

When was the last time you purchased stationery for a Government department…. ?
Post-it note are quite expensive through the “must use” providers. In fact a lot of the stationery, esp post-it notes are cheaper at Costco than places like OfficeMax, Cos etc

Buying a single 5 pad pack of multicoloured sticky notes (not 3M brand) from a place like Officeworks retail, that whole window would have cost $2-3 to do.

I am assuming that government departments but in bulk, using combined accounts to achieve some bulk savings. If that’s not the case, then I think we may want to make this article about the fault of managers and bean counters in the public service to achieve better value for the taxpayer’s dollars.

I don’t think you quite understood my comment… It is in fact cheaper most of the time to go purchase stationery at places like Kmart, Big W, Costco…

I order stationery through COS at work… A ‘cabinet pack’ of post it notes (usually 18 to a pack) is about $30-$40 each.

I recently just bought myself some giant memo blocks for a massive $2 each at Kmart. Prob equivalent to about 5 post-it pads.

Government departments are required to buy their stationery through these providers, even though we could go to the shops and buy it cheaper.

Genie said :

When was the last time you purchased stationery for a Government department…. ? Post-it note are quite expensive through the “must use” providers. In fact a lot of the stationery, esp post-it notes are cheaper at Costco than places like OfficeMax, Cos etc

A fine example where the need to be able to show you are doing the right thing prevents you from actually doing the right thing.

You go through the process of setting up a panel of preferred providers – an expensive exercise in itself. Then you buy stuff from those providers, whether or not you can get the stuff cheaper elsewhere. If people query this you can always say that you followed the required process.

This isn’t meant to be a criticism of individual public servants, but of the systems they are forced to work under. I understand the need for accountability when dealing with public money, but sometimes it leads to contrary outcomes.

bikhet said :

Genie said :

When was the last time you purchased stationery for a Government department…. ? Post-it note are quite expensive through the “must use” providers. In fact a lot of the stationery, esp post-it notes are cheaper at Costco than places like OfficeMax, Cos etc

A fine example where the need to be able to show you are doing the right thing prevents you from actually doing the right thing.

You go through the process of setting up a panel of preferred providers – an expensive exercise in itself. Then you buy stuff from those providers, whether or not you can get the stuff cheaper elsewhere. If people query this you can always say that you followed the required process.

This isn’t meant to be a criticism of individual public servants, but of the systems they are forced to work under. I understand the need for accountability when dealing with public money, but sometimes it leads to contrary outcomes.

And it’s just an unfortunate coincidence when the providers who get the privilege of selling to government departments at well above retail prices turn out to be the drinking buddies of said public servants, the ones that ought not be unfairly criticized.

Genie said :

I don’t think you quite understood my comment… It is in fact cheaper most of the time to go purchase stationery at places like Kmart, Big W, Costco…

I order stationery through COS at work… A ‘cabinet pack’ of post it notes (usually 18 to a pack) is about $30-$40 each.

I recently just bought myself some giant memo blocks for a massive $2 each at Kmart. Prob equivalent to about 5 post-it pads.

Government departments are required to buy their stationery through these providers, even though we could go to the shops and buy it cheaper.

Yes, which is why I said the follow in my comment:

I am assuming that government departments buy in bulk, using combined accounts to achieve some bulk savings. If that’s not the case, then I think we may want to make this article about the fault of managers and bean counters in the public service to achieve better value for the taxpayer’s dollars.

Public service is failing to achieve maximum value on something as basic as stationary, then no wonder bigger things like DMO projects go to pieces.

c_c™ said :

Public service is failing to achieve maximum value on something as basic as stationary, then no wonder bigger things like DMO projects go to pieces.

Public servants have got the stationary bit mastered. It is the stationery they are having difficulty with.

Tetranitrate said :

And it’s just an unfortunate coincidence when the providers who get the privilege of selling to government departments at well above retail prices turn out to be the drinking buddies of said public servants, the ones that ought not be unfairly criticized.

The process of setting up a panel is an attempt to prevent that. Of course, the setting up of the panel can be subverted, but it’s harder due to their being more oversight of that process than of someone buying a few Post-It notes.

If you have evidence of fraud as you describe, I’d urge you to contact the appropriate Inspector-General and/or the AFP.

In the analyses of how much this has cost, has anyone factored in the time wasted in preparing Senate Estimates/media briefs about this issue?

….No, I didn’t think so. Probably well north of a hundred g by the time all is said and done.

Now we can tilt at windmills all we like about workforce productivity and the post it art being ‘done on own time’ but the reality is in the APS it is as much (if not more) about what is seen to be done as what is actually done.

“A fine use of taxpayers [sic] money”

What a banal and puisillanimous title.

Hey that’s a great way to display policies for work place safety etc

Sideshowmatt123 said :

“A fine use of taxpayers [sic] money”

What a banal and puisillanimous title.

I love learning new words, thanks guy!

Roundhead89 said :

And I suppose all those stories about public servants not having enough work to do are an invention by the shock jocks and Murdoch newspapers …

Given that the shock jocks and Murdoch newspapers have no imagination or mandate to do anything else, you join the dots. While at it, why not have another bash at waste-of-money artists and academics? Go on, you know you want to. Media masturbation. They’re addicted to it, you stand there aiding and abetting, and the rest of us have to put up with the mess.

DrKoresh said :

Sideshowmatt123 said :

“A fine use of taxpayers [sic] money”

What a banal and puisillanimous title.

I love learning new words, thanks guy!

Correct spelling is pusillanimous.