PUBLIC SECTOR EMPLOYEES

Mrs GERAGHTY (Torrens) (15:05): My question is to—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Mrs GERAGHTY: —the Minister for the Public Sector. Can the minister inform the house about the work undertaken by public servants in the Office of the Chief Information Officer?

The Hon. M.F. O'BRIEN (Napier—Minister for Finance, Minister for the Public Sector) (15:05): I thank the member for Torrens for the question. It is a timely question because there have been public statements recently by the Leader of the Opposition that reflect on the value or otherwise of so-called backroom public servants. As Minister for the Public Sector I am concerned about this commentary and the potential adverse impact it has on workforce morale and community perceptions. While we acknowledge and appreciate the valuable work of doctors, nurses, police, teachers and so forth, it is important to recognise the Public Service is also made up of tens of thousand of dedicated, hardworking individuals who all make a significant contribution to South Australia.

In my portfolio, I have an equal appreciation for those working in back offices at RevenueSA and Shared Services, for example, as I do for front counter staff at Service SA. It was therefore disappointing to hear the Leader of the Opposition say last Friday on ABC radio, and I quote:

Public service numbers in this state are to my mind heavier in bureaucrats rather than front-line services.

Such talk damages morale and recruitment.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! You will listen to the minister's answer.

The Hon. M.F. O'BRIEN: This government has maintained and extended front-line services. We make no apology for that. But it is simplistic to say that important functions of government can operate without so-called bureaucrats. Last week I visited the Office of the Chief Information Officer, where approximately 140 people are employed. The OCIO handles much of ICT planning, development and implementation across government.

The office manages the Central Data Network which supports agency access to shared resources including email and the internet, also the public sector's telephone network and the state's ICT infrastructure. Most of these individuals we will not meet during our working day but you will meet them when you drop your kids off at school, you will meet them in supermarkets and on sporting fields. They may be backroom public servants but front-line services would not function without them. Our community and the state's economy would suffer—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. M.F. O'BRIEN: —if these people were not employed in these essential jobs. I am proud—

The Hon. I.F. Evans interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Davenport, order!

The Hon. M.F. O'BRIEN: —of the public servants who work in my portfolios whether it is on the front line, the centre-line or the back line. They are all valued members of the public sector team, and I know all of my parliamentary colleagues on this side of the house also have a similar pride in the South Australian public sector. This begs the question: what is the basis of the negativity that sits so deeply embedded in the ranks of the opposition?

Mr WILLIAMS: I have a supplementary question, Madam Speaker.

The SPEAKER: Question time has finished.

Mr WILLIAMS: It is a pity. I did want to ask the minister why his Premier said last Friday that we had too many public servants and they are cutting them.

The SPEAKER: Order!

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Will members leave the chamber if they are going to make a lot of noise. Order!