Federal public servants have been too frequently having to draw on courage to stand firm in their advice to ministers, a Canberra forum of top bureaucrats has heard.
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In recent years, the APS became more comfortable with ethical "murky waters", says one of the most senior bureaucrats sacked by the previous Morrison government.
Renée Leon, who was one of five departmental secretaries sacked seven months after Scott Morrison's 2019 election victory, said the sackings were intended to "send a clear message about the limits of frank and fearless advice".
That message was received, the now vice-chancellor of Charles Sturt University said, and there was "damage" to the willingness to provide frank advice with senior officials choosing carefully when to push back on ministers.
"That courage ought not to be called for too often because if you're required to call upon courage, it means that you are in quite a tight spot," Professor Leon told a forum hosted by the Institute of Public Administration Australia on Thursday.
"My reflection on the public service, especially in recent years, is that senior public servants have had to really draw on their reserves of courage in order to give frank and fearless advice."
Steven Kennedy, Treasury's departmental secretary, told the forum he concurred with Leon's claim, but said the "vast majority" of difficult situations senior officials faced were not unlawful.
"I have my experience in climate change policy ... I have always made it clear where my view differs from the government. It's quite important that they understand it. I think otherwise they won't understand where I'm coming from," Dr Kennedy said.
The public was not aware of how clearly senior officials would tell ministers they were wrong, he said, because those conversations were always in private.
Professor Leon also took a swipe at the previous Coalition government's public attacks on officials while talented younger generations were considering a public service career.
"It certainly helps to have your government appreciating the public service and not criticising it, and so I hope we're seeing plenty of that from the current government," she said.
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The forum was held on United Nations Public Service Day for the inaugural annual Frances Adamson Oration, named after and delivered by the former secretary of the Foreign Affairs and Trade department and now Governor of South Australia.
Ms Adamson urged public servants to prioritise integrity in the short, medium and long term as a lever for shifting for community attitudes and trust in government.
"Acting with integrity is how the service maintains the confidence and trust of the public ... On the flip side, we need look no further than the fierce spotlight that social media, citizen-led blogs and traditional media place on real or perceived transgressions within our institutions," she said.
"The public have a strong voice and an outlet for its expression."
Ministers also attached high importance to integrity within the public service, she said, and it maintained their trust by not being political activists, not obstructive and not leaking.
"It's a two-way street, and there will be times when the service needs the courage to defend its governance."
- Clarification: An earlier version of this story included comments from Professor Leon about "unlawful and unethical" requests made to the public service by government ministers. The comments were hypothetical and did not relate to the previous government.
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