The 2004 federal election - party platforms toward the public service

Abstract

The public service emerged as an election issue some months before John Howard called the election, but was promptly drowned in the mêlée of marginal seat vote-bidding of the campaign proper. While this report will appear after the electoral outcome is known, it is important to record the policies of the various political party on the public service and to a degree the wider public sector. This includes what was said and what was not. Both main protagonists declared themselves supportive of a 'truly independent public service' with Labor critical of the alleged politicisation of senior levels of the service. As suggested in the commentary below, the proposed policy statements of intent tended to tinker at the margins rather than present a blueprint of significant change.