The NSW Public Service Association (PSA) have refused to comment on whether it is appropriate for government policy to be defended by government bureaucrats.
The question arose after last week’s story, Health professionals strike over patient ratios, was published.
After The Echo asked Health Minister, Brad Hazzard, why he won’t agree to secure patient ratios, as requested by the NSW nurses/midwives association, his office instead referred the question to NSW Health, who defended the government policy.
The Echo provided the public sector union with the email exchange, and outlined the long standing and well-established convention of the separation between those who create policy (the government), and those who carry policy out (bureaucrats).
The Echo asked the PSA, ‘When policy decisions made by elected representatives are defended by bureaucrats, how are the public supposed to trust the independence of the bureaucracy that carries out the policy?’
A union representative replied by saying, ‘The PSA is unable to comment on this matter unfortunately’.
