Rudd seems determined to stare down not just the Coalition, but the public service. Yesterday he told those in the bureaucracy who may be flinching at the workload that he will push them even harder to deliver his mandate.
"I understand that there has been some criticism around the edges that some public servants are finding the hours a bit much," Rudd volunteered. "Well, I suppose I've simply got news for the public service: there'll be more."
It sounded like a threat, and it was.
Rudd was extraordinary in his media conference yesterday. He seemed to blame the public service for the leak simply because it couldn't possibly, he thinks, have come from within his ever loyal Cabinet or any of the staffers who populate the Ministerial wing.
His vindictive attitude runs against all modern concepts of leadership and workplace management. For a start, he is blaming everyone in the public service for the leak when if the public service is responsible it was the action of one person not the thousands targeted in his comments yesterday.
Moreover, he will do best by trying to inspire the public service not flogging it.
People are OK with working hard is the policy ambitions are large. Rudd's, so far, are not.
Rudd needs to set a larger agenda of change. After all, who wants to work around the clock on the reports, reviews etc that Rudd seems to favour?
This wasn't Rudd's first go at the public service. Part of his spiel about the failed Australia 2020 summit was a denigration of the public service. He portrayed the summit as, in part, an exercise in sidelining the public service from policy development and then, in defending fuelwatch, his treasurer described the departmental advice as bureaucratic and academic.
The weakness in this government starts with Rudd and his excessively bureaucratic, prolix and timid approach to policy formulation.
Technorati Tags: Rudd, public service, workplace
Update: Leakwatch
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