Public servants quitting rather than face Senate estimates clips on social media
Finance Minister Katy Gallagher says senior public servants are quitting. They refuse to be called liars and have their words clipped online.
Public servants at Senate estimates are being humiliated on social media. Some are leaving the public service to escape it.
Finance Minister Katy Gallagher said she knows very senior bureaucrats who have quit because they won't face Senate estimates. They've been called liars.
Politicians cut their words out of context and post them. An angry citizen confronted Gallagher in a supermarket.
It was about a Matt Canavan clip attacking her budget handling. She says clips are made on purpose to spark outrage, not to inform.
Attacked public servants have no right to reply once the clip spreads. Gallagher and the Secretaries Board want more care taken with how estimates are edited and shared.
She stopped short of backing a full ban.
- $30 billion
- Budget overspend in clip
- Katy Gallagher
- Finance Minister
- Matt Canavan
- Senator who posted clip
Why it mattersIf public servants quit in fear of being humiliated online, the public service loses experienced staff. Remaining bureaucrats become less willing to give frank, honest answers at hearings.
AustraliaAustralians rely on public servants to answer parliament truthfully. When they're driven from the job by social media attacks, accountability weakens and the quality of government advice and service delivery suffers.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 2 h ago
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