Politicisation – the attack on merit and our way of life

Below is an excerpt from Scott Prasser paper, which can be read here: https://www.cis.org.au/publication/politicisation-the-attack-on-merit-and-our-way-of-life/ Types of politicisation in government: 1. Making senior appointments based on partisanship, personal relationships, loyalty; 2. Political patronage — rewarding personal and political loyalty in appointments to government advisory boards and committees; 3. Allocating public finds for political advantage; 4. Public servants’ direct political involvement in campaigning and party activity; 5. Appointments of those politically aligned but based on merit selection criteria (“meritorious mates”); 6. Appointments on grounds of equity or ‘representativeness’ in addition to/or even instead of narrow position ‘merit’ criteria; 7. Public servants serving in ‘political’ roles in developing policy (as distinct from sharing work with ministers); 8. Development of a ‘responsive’ public service through contractual employment (giving ministers what they want as distinct from what they need); 9. Expansion of ministerial roles and offices into more and more areas of administration through expansion of ministers’ offices and powers to oversee and supplant public service functions (giving directions, preparation of cabinet submissions, co-ordination). #auspol 5YSGGR2Q2GNZSKOF