The Prime Minister's Department secretary Phil Gaetjens has called out "personal attacks" on public servants and says claims of politicisation are intended to undermine confidence in the bureaucracy.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
His comments follow Independent senator Rex Patrick's accusations that two departmental freedom-of-information officials were politicised in refusing access to national cabinet documents.
Australia's most senior federal bureaucrat issued an apparent rebuke to Senator Patrick in an end-of-year address to public servants in Canberra on Wednesday, saying the senator's criticisms were intended to undermine the public's faith in the Australian Public Service.
Mr Gaetjens, who Senator Patrick also accused last week of hiding government secrets, said he had driven reforms promoting frank advice from Commonwealth and state public services.
"I have always tried to put systems in place or institutionalise things to make the public service stronger, to support the values of the APS and to empower us as public servants to give frank advice within a respectful workplace," Mr Gaetjens said.
"Collectively and individually, we should always call out behaviours which undercut these values.
"Most recently, there have been comments made with the intent to undermine the public confidence in the APS, through personal attacks on public servants and accusations of politicisation.
"I will always call out inaccuracies in these types of comments and reiterate the importance of our impartial public service."
Senator Patrick last month named Angie McKenzie, a Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet FOI official, in a Senate speech accusing her of incompetence and being politcised in refusing to release national cabinet documents.
Mr Gaetjens and public service commissioner Peter Woolcott wrote a complaint to Senate president Slade Brockman in response, saying Senator Patrick had misused his parliamentary immunity and that his comments should be referred to the privileges committee for formal review.
The PM&C secretary, speaking on Wednesday evening at an annual Institute of Public Administration event, referred to the letter he and Mr Woolcott wrote to Senator Brockman.
Ms McKenzie refused access to the documents in October after finding they were exempt under cabinet secrecy rules.
It followed an Administrative Appeals Tribunal finding in August that the national cabinet was not a subcommittee of the federal cabinet.
In her decision, Ms McKenzie found the national cabinet was a committee of the federal cabinet for the purposes of the freedom-of-information laws.
Mr Gaetjens and Mr Woolcott defended Ms McKenzie, saying she was a highly regarded and competent public servant who conducted herself with high standards of integrity.
They said Senator Patrick's comments were damaging to her reputation, had demoralised public servants and had damaged Australia's system of government.
Senator Patrick dismissed the claims, saying it was Mr Gaetjens who had undermined public faith in the bureaucracy by serving as a "cover-up expert" ready to bury the government's secrets and being "happy to act as the Prime Minister's henchman".
He also criticised another departmental FOI official, assistant secretary Hugh Cameron, for refusing access to national cabinet documents in another request, saying the decision was "to all intents" a carbon copy of Ms McKenzie's.
'Enormous expectations'
Mr Gaetjens told public servants on Wednesday the early federal budget on March 29, caretaker duties during the election period and preparation of incoming briefs for the next government would occupy the bureaucracy in 2022.
Among the public service's priorities for the year would be implementing a national plan to end violence against women and children, suicide prevention reforms, the national strategy against child sexual abuse, measures improving the health of First Nations peoples, and rolling out the $17.7 billion package to overhaul aged care.
READ MORE:
He also said while high vaccination numbers had shifted focus to reopening the nation, the Omicron variant of COVID was an "emerging risk".
"Currently and for the foreseeable future, we will be focusing on how we can live with COVID, including through learning more about Omicron," Mr Gaetjens said.
"With high vaccination rates, more knowledge about track, trace, isolate and quarantine, more knowledge about public health measures, medical treatments, we have shown it is possible to manage cases without overloading our health system.
"Hopefully shutting domestic borders is likely behind us and subject to Omicron we can continue reopening our country and manage the opportunities and challenges that come with that."
Mr Gaetjens said he was cautiously optimistic about the economic outlook, despite global economic and strategic trends.
Mr Woolcott said the public service played a central role in the transition between governments during the election period, preparing incoming briefs and providing caretaker duties.
"Whatever the outcome, the expectations on us from government and the Australian people will be enormous, and I have no doubt you will all keep on delivering," he said.
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
- Bookmark canberratimes.com.au
- Download our app
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Twitter
- Follow us on Instagram