‘Mates over merit’ rife
AUSTRALIAN politics has a growing “jobs for mates” culture that is undermining democracy, a scathing new report has found.
Federal and state government boards, tribunals and agencies are “stacked” with people who have worked in politics, almost always for the party in government at the time they got the job, analysis by the Grattan Institute has found.
Political appointees make up 21 per cent of the most wellpaid, powerful and prestigious federal government board positions.
When it comes to government business boards specifically, such as Australia Post, more than one in five members has a political connection.
Half of the Productivity Commission’s board members have a political connection to the Coalition.
The Grattan Institute report found political stacking was “especially evident” on the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT), an independent expert body tasked with reviewing government decisions on everything from child support to migration status.
AAT member salaries range from almost $200,000 to almost $500,000 a year. Twenty per cent of the current 320 tribunal members have a direct political connection to the government that appointed them.
The report argued the “problem” of jobs for mates on the tribunal was “getting worse”.
Political appointments to the AAT have grown substantially in the past five years, with many made on “election eve” – in the lead-up to the 2019 and 2022 federal elections.
The NSW corruption watchdog ICAC is currently weighing up investigation of the recent appointment of former deputy premier John Barilaro to a $500,000-a-year New York trade job.
Premier Dominic Perrottet ordered a review of how Mr Barilaro was controversially appointed to the plum posting after a senior public servant had already been identified as a “preferred candidate”.
Grattan Institute chief executive Danielle Wood said when “mateship prevails over merit” all of Australia suffered.
“Of course not all political appointees are without merit, but politicising public appointments can compromise the performance of government agencies, promote a corrupt culture and undermine public trust in the institutions of government,” she said.
The report called on federal and state governments to establish a “transparent, meritbased selection process” for all public appointments, overseen by a new public appointments commissioner.
Ms Wood said all positions should be advertised with specific selection criteria, with applicants then assessed by an independent panel with a shortlist provided to the minister, who would choose the successful candidate.
“This is a big problem, but it has an easy fix,” Ms Wood said.
“If the new federal government is serious about improving the way politics is done in Australia, it should set about ending the insidious jobs-formates culture – and the state and territory governments should get on board.”