Public servants free to criticise govt
OUR public servants have been unleashed to criticise the government’s policies on social media.
But they will have to make sure they do it in their own time, don’t use office equipment, and adopt a fake name.
That’s the clear interpretation of a ruling by the Administrative Appeals Tribunal, which established a “freedom of political communication” for public servants.
It is being seen as a victory for free speech in the digital age, and a potential Twitter problem for department chiefs.
No longer will it be seen as a breach of the Australian Public Service Code of Conduct if bureaucrats tweet criticism of their department superiors, minister or policies, even if they might breach department “values”. As long as they use a pseudonym.
At the centre of the case was Michaela Banerji, who from about January to July 2012 tweeted as @LaLegale and was critical of the Department of Immigration where she worked.
All were sent in her own time on her own devices, apart from at least one retweet sent in work hours.
A complaint from within the department claimed she was breaching the Code of Conduct, and after a succession of reviews she was sacked in September 2013.
The tribunal said it was ruling on whether the Code of Conduct had been misused.