Showing posts with label public sector. Show all posts
Showing posts with label public sector. Show all posts

Monday 5 October 2020

NSW Berejiklian Coalition Government effectively gets its public sector wage cuts in the middle of a global pandemic

 

An est. 400,000 public sector workers throughout New South Wales, including health workers and teachers in the regions, received a slap in the face this month.


According to the Headnote in NSW Industrial Relations Commission, Application for Crown Employees (Public Sector – Salaries 2020) Award and Other Matters (No 2) [2020], 1 October 2020:


Between 9 March 2020 and 29 May 2020 the Public Service Association and Professional Officers’ Association Amalgamated Union of New South Wales, the New South Wales Nurses and Midwives’ Association, the Health Services Union of New South Wales and the Australian Salaried Medical Officers’ Federation (New South Wales) (collectively, “Applicants”) filed in the Commission a total of 43 applications seeking orders for the making of awards to replace, or to vary, 41 existing awards. In each case the application calls on the Commission to confer on employees covered by the existing or proposed awards an increase of 2.5% to their salaries and salary-related allowances to take effect from the first pay period on or after 1 July 2020…..


A decision not to award any increases for the year commencing 1 July 2020 may see employees under the relevant awards suffer a reduction of 0.3% in their real wages over the two year period to 30 June 2021…..


The evidence, in particular the economic evidence, adduced in the proceedings calls for restraint in the particular circumstances of the current financial year. At the same time, in the exercise of the Commission’s discretion and having regard to all of the economic considerations the Full Bench does not accept that an outcome that would see a decrease in the real earnings of employees would be fair and reasonable.


The Full Bench proposes to make awards and variations to avoid such a reduction, by awarding increases of 0.3%.....


Decision: Determination that salaries and salary-related allowances in the awards the subject of the applications should be increased by 0.3% with effect from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2020.


In this matter the position of the Berejiklian Government was as follows; The position of the Employers [represented by the NSW Crown Solicitor] can be summarised as contending that the Commission should award no increases to salaries and salary-related allowances, whether by making a new award or varying an existing one. Instead, the Commission should make an award or a variation in respect of each of the Joined Applications which has a nominal term of one year, which awards no increase to salaries and salary-related allowances and contains a no extra claims clause.



Thursday 23 August 2018

Corruption in the Australian public sector



All three tiers of government in Australia have recorded instances where public service employees allegedly participate in potentially criminal activity.

Here is the most recent……


The Corruption and Crime Commission (CCC) has today tabled in State Parliament a comprehensive report into corrupt activity at the North Metropolitan Health Service (NMHS) that went undetected for up to a decade. 

The Report into bribery and corruption in maintenance and service contracts within North Metropolitan Health Service highlights serious misconduct at its most shocking – corrupt relationships between the private and public sectors resulting in the gross misuse and fraudulent misappropriation of hundreds of thousands of dollars of public funds.

The Commission heard evidence of corruption and serious misconduct involving public officers who:

• accepted tens of thousands of dollars in gifts of interstate and overseas travel and accommodation from contractors in return for awarding them work;
• accepted tens of thousands of dollars in gifts of expensive restaurant meals, entertainment, alcohol and other gratuities in return for awarding work;
• received thousands of dollars in cash payments from contractors in return for awarding them continued work;
• facilitated contractors to fraudulently invoice NMHS to cover the costs of the corrupt benefits of travel, accommodation, meals, entertainment and cash they received;
• colluded with particular contractors in 'bid rigging' activities for the purpose of subverting the WA Health and NMHS procurement processes; and
• a senior public officer used contractors to renovate his private residence at a discount and then facilitated the building contractors to fraudulently invoice NMHS approximately $170,000 for works carried out on his private residence.

The Report recommends that prosecuting authorities consider preferring criminal charges against three former public servants (including a former Executive Director of Facilities Management at NMHS and a former Executive Director of Perth Children’s Hospital Service Integration) and no fewer than 10 private sector contractors.

Read the full media release
Download the Report

ABC News, 16 August 2018:

Senior WA Health bureaucrats corruptly reaped hundreds of thousands of dollars in gifts and travel paid for by contractors in exchange for winning work on Government projects, an explosive new report has found.

One senior bureaucrat allowed contractors to fraudulently bill the North Metropolitan Health Service (NMHS) for $170,000 in renovations carried out on his private home, while he and another accepted benefits that included overseas travel, restaurant meals, entertainment, cash bribes and alcohol in exchange for the awarding of government contracts.

The Corruption and Crime Commission began investigating after a tip-off from a junior whistleblower within the department in 2014.

Its report recommends charges be considered against three former senior health bureaucrats and nearly a dozen contractors, for what was described as sustained efforts to engage in and cover up bribery.

The report named former NMHS executive directors John Fullerton and David Mulligan, as well as former facilities development manager Shaun Ensor, as the bureaucrats involved in the corrupt conduct.

"This report details more than a decade of corrupt conduct reaching into senior levels within WA Health," the CCC report stated.

"It exposes a culture of contractors freely giving gifts and benefits to public officers, with the expectation of thereby winning work and recovering the costs of the gifts through fraud.

The report uncovered extensive efforts by contractors to shower Mr Fullerton with gifts and other benefits in exchange for government work.

Examples of corruption found by the CCC:

Lavish lunches at restaurants including Nobu, Rockpool and Coco's totalling more than $50,000
A three-week business-class trip to the UK for Mr Fullerton and his wife, Jacqui
A business-class trip for the Fullertons to Canada to attend their son's wedding
A three-week US holiday for Mr and Mrs Fullerton
Annual trips to Melbourne for Mr and Mrs Fullerton
Trips to Canada, Bali, Hong Kong, China and Dubai for Mr Fullerton and his wife
An all-expenses paid trip to the UK for Mr Mulligan
A night at the Galaxy nightclub including paid hostesses
Melbourne Cup lunches and AFL grand final tickets
Gifts of cologne, shoes, business suits and shirts worth thousands of dollars
Cash payments of more than $25,000

Over about a decade, Mr Fullerton received thousands of dollars in cash and $150,000 in gifts including flights, meals, perfume and clothes paid for by contractors, according to the report.

"In return, those contractors obtained regular work at NMHS," the report stated.
"For the majority of contractors, this was the price of doing business with Mr Fullerton."……
The CCC said prosecution should be considered for 10 contractors involved in the corruption, as well as the three senior bureaucrats.

"On occasion, money added to NMHS invoices [was] purely for greed rather than to recoup money spent on 'gifts'," the report stated.

CCC commissioner John McKechnie said covert surveillance discovered some of those involved discussing plans to destroy evidence and create falsified records to cover up their wrongdoing.

"It's staggering, the extent of this in North Metro Health and the fact it has continued for so long," Mr McKechnie said.

"We think serious consideration should be given to prosecuting not only the public officers but some of the contractors.”

BACKGROUND


Public sector corruption refers to the misuse of public power or position with an expectation of undue private gain or advantage (for self or others). It may include:
bribery
embezzlement
fraud
extortion
trading in influence
perverting the course of justice
exchanging goods for money or information.

Corrupt conduct can occur directly through the improper or unlawful actions of public sector officials, or through the actions of individuals operating in the private sector who attempt to inappropriately influence the functions of government.
Organised crime groups try to corrupt public officials to gain access to public funds, information, protection and other services to facilitate criminal activities. These officials are likely to be from law enforcement agencies, border agencies, and agencies that issue identification documents.

Corruption has a serious impact on government, industry and national security. It prejudices the rule of law and distorts markets. It can inhibit foreign investment and international credit ratings and damages Australia’s reputation as a safe reliable economy in which to invest and trade. It can also harm cooperation and relations with foreign governments and law enforcement agencies.

Corruption of public sector officials has substantial multiplier effects and benefits for organised crime. There may be significant links between corruption in the public sector and organised crime groups that, by their very nature, remain hidden. The key challenge in identifying and investigating corruption is that corrupt conduct occurs in secret, between consenting parties who are frequently skilled at deception.