Senate orders Kennedy to explain public service social media ban
The Senate ordered Steven Kennedy to explain why. Senior public servants don't want their evidence shared on social media.
Senior public servants, including Defence Deputy Secretary Celia Perkins, asked that their evidence from parliamentary committee hearings not be reposted on social media. Senior public servants said such posts are often taken out of context and used to ridicule officials.
The Senate Clerk rejected the initial request. Public hearings must be open, he ruled.
Steven Kennedy chaired the APS Secretaries Board. It later asked to ban social media posts of committee evidence.
The Senate voted to order Kennedy to appear at Senate Estimates in two weeks. He must explain the reasoning behind the request.
It remains unclear whether he will comply with the Upper House order.
- Celia Perkins
- Defence Deputy Secretary
- Steven Kennedy
- PM&C Secretary
- Steven Kennedy
- Secretaries Board chair
- Two weeks
- Hearing timeline
Why it mattersThis raises a tension between government transparency and civil service dignity. It tests what controls officials can place on public parliamentary evidence.
AustraliaWill shape how Australian government hearings and evidence are shared publicly and viewed online for years to come.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 59 min ago
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