Mrs BRAHAM - 1995-08-16
Did the opposition's so-called Public Service Hotline have any value and was there any need for it?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, I am not sure how much money the ALP spent on the hotline, but its market research and implementation plans were a little astray. One would think that one of the most important factors would be at least to get the telephone number right. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, one would ascertain whether there was a need for such a hotline, given the recently introduced Public Sector Employment and Management Act, and the union system and structure. I think the unions had something to say about the lack of worth of this hotline. Thirdly, when setting up a hotline for aggrieved people to raise their problems and troubles with confidence, the last place to site it would be in the ALP's office. What confidence could anyone have in raising their problems through the Leader of the Opposition's office? He has a track record of having mishandled sensitive issues all too often.
Other than Telstra checking the wrong number and some curious journalists dialling it to find out what in the heck the hotline was all about, there were almost no callers except for a few aggrieved parties, some of whom have been in the press lately. I am not sure whether Charlie Phillips himself rang the number or whether John Tobin actually made a couple of those calls. Maybe it was some other lights whom we have heard of in the media, perhaps even some prolific writers of letters. We know that some of the latter were not too happy when they were dismissed for reasons and they would not want shared with the general
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community. If we add all of those up and get to 10 out of 14 000 public servants, I think the picture is clear.
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ANSWER
Mr Speaker, I am not sure how much money the ALP spent on the hotline, but its market research and implementation plans were a little astray. One would think that one of the most important factors would be at least to get the telephone number right. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, one would ascertain whether there was a need for such a hotline, given the recently introduced Public Sector Employment and Management Act, and the union system and structure. I think the unions had something to say about the lack of worth of this hotline. Thirdly, when setting up a hotline for aggrieved people to raise their problems and troubles with confidence, the last place to site it would be in the ALP's office. What confidence could anyone have in raising their problems through the Leader of the Opposition's office? He has a track record of having mishandled sensitive issues all too often.
Other than Telstra checking the wrong number and some curious journalists dialling it to find out what in the heck the hotline was all about, there were almost no callers except for a few aggrieved parties, some of whom have been in the press lately. I am not sure whether Charlie Phillips himself rang the number or whether John Tobin actually made a couple of those calls. Maybe it was some other lights whom we have heard of in the media, perhaps even some prolific writers of letters. We know that some of the latter were not too happy when they were dismissed for reasons and they would not want shared with the general
Page 703
community. If we add all of those up and get to 10 out of 14 000 public servants, I think the picture is clear.
Page 704
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016