31 October 2013

Public service closing up shop!

| johnboy
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Eric Abetz has announced that the public service is only going to be recruiting from amongst its own in future:

The Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Public Service, Senator the Hon. Eric Abetz, announced today interim new recruiting arrangements within the Australian Public Service to help meet the Government’s election commitment to reduce the public service by 12,000 employees through natural attrition.

The new arrangements will maximise the use of capability already within the APS by increasing efforts to provide every employment opportunity possible to existing staff.

External advertising of APS vacancies and non-ongoing (temporary) employment will be limited to critical vacancies only, most particularly in specialist roles, where a suitable employee cannot be found within the APS.

The APS will also continue to support targeted recruitment programmes for Graduate and Indigenous employees.

It’s hard to see this benefitting the greater Australian community.

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460cixy said :

Bubble had to burst eventually

You think property is in a bubble in Canberra? Surely not.

farout said :

banco said :

Should be good for house prices and rents.

It also means that the “good” staff can shop around Agencies and demand better deals, since it’s now a closed pool of existing APS staff that can be drawn on.

It won’t work like that. Good people won’t be released. If agencies have vacancies to fill they will be filled with people other areas/agencies don’t want.

It is unlikely that the Government will achieve the 12,000 EL – SES mass resignations/retirements (54/11 excepted) in the timeframe it wants through natural attrition. Canny officers at this level are smart enough to know that they are in the dicky-bird seat and will wait for some form of inducement.

Those in PSS or PSSAP superannuation schemes have nothing to lose and everything to gain, especially PSS members who have seniority and have made maximum contributions over a long period of time.

You have to spend money to save money and this has been demonstrated by recent retirements/redundancies in Human Services and Treasury. An EL1 earning $108,000 per annum contributing 10% to PSS with 10 or more years service will have at least $400 – 500K super’ entitlement. If they are 55 or more, this figure will be more than a million in 4 or 5 years; plus long service and annual leave entitlements.

If the Government really wants to save money sooner, it should offer VRs to their target groups immediately as it would be comparatively much cheaper in the short term and in the long run. Better to stop them dead in their tracks now, otherwise these groups may really have cause to thing they are the elite.

davo101 said :

Staff freeze, hiring freeze, new engagements avoidance, Operation Fluffy Kitten–different names same thing.

Yes, but I’d be a lot happier to be told I was part of Operation Fluffy Kitten…

Gungahlin Al9:58 am 01 Nov 13

[rant]

APSjobs website is a massively underutilised tool, and the heavy-weight application/selection process is a massive impediment to staff mobility and development within the APS.

There is nothing to stop selection committees getting comprehensive run-downs on existing APS staff from their referees (and anyone else who works with candidates, to be frank). So why the full-on application process, when you could simply have a two-pager EOI process like you do for an internal move?

Couple that with an APS-only area of APSjobs where staff interested in moves can post their CVs and skill summaries, so people looking to recruit can search for the right people to ‘try before you buy’ on secondment.

Getting staff moving around between agencies can only help to improve skills and knowledge of APS people, and minimise money wasted on VR payouts when other areas are employing anyway.

There’s just a little problem of the stupid differences in pay scales…

While on a rant about APSjobs, I’d like to see a mandatory listing of the actual location of the office for each vacancy – not just ‘Canberra’. Then you could search on opportunities close to you, with a view to reducing travel time/costs/impost on transport network.

[/rant]

banco said :

Should be good for house prices and rents.

I think the fear about Canberra imploding was based on the assumption of mass sackings. This “staff freeze” only means that Agencies will now hesitate to get rid of (under-performing) staff, and try to keep their troops in the tent.

It also means that the “good” staff can shop around Agencies and demand better deals, since it’s now a closed pool of existing APS staff that can be drawn on.

Woody Mann-Caruso said :

Not a staff freeze. You can move people around inside the APS all you like.

Staff freeze, hiring freeze, new engagements avoidance, Operation Fluffy Kitten–different names same thing.

HiddenDragon11:30 pm 31 Oct 13

banco said :

Should be good for house prices and rents.

and parking and traffic congestion, but not so good for local businesses.

Although Abetz is a crook like the rest of his party, I am actually happy to see this is happening.

Too many free rides to cushy well paid jobs from those who came from the private sector.

A return to promotions for those who actually work their way up through structure of the APS, is a good thing and long overdue.

I blame ‘JackBoot’ Johnny for destroying the CPS. (APS)

Bubble had to burst eventually

Should be good for house prices and rents.

Woody Mann-Caruso7:12 pm 31 Oct 13

Not a staff freeze. You can move people around inside the APS all you like.

(You’d be pretty f*ckin’ stupid to be the one to say ‘Dear Secretary, would you please write to the APSC and willingly put yourself on the PM’s personal hate radar so I can fill this APS5?’, though.)

Yawn; a staff-freeze you say? Welcome to my world, I think my department has been under a staff-freeze for more than 50% of the time I’ve worked here.

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