Cabinet Secretary Arthur Sinodinos says public servants have become like ringmasters and that his past belief in a performance pay system for bureaucrats was out of his hands.
Senator Sinodinos, the man charged with making sure Malcolm Turnbull’s cabinet runs smoothly, said public servants were now challenged by distilling more advice than ever before. “There’s a lot of contestability of advice,” he said.
The job of cabinet secretary and what it entails can often be vague to members of the public.
It can be best described as being the conduit for information at the highest level of the government’s decision-making process to make sure it is done in a collaborative way. This includes making sure information flows from leading departments and agencies to all members of cabinet.
Senator Sinodinos said the public service should make sure it appropriately retained its corporate memory and that good ministers would appreciate forewarning alongside frank and fearless advice.
“My own background is as a public servant,” he said. “It’s important we understand that the public service has a role to play.”
In opposition the senator supported the Coalition’s election promise of introducing a performance pay system for senior executive public servants linked with how much red and green tape they could cut. He said if that were to be introduced now it would largely be out of his hands and would be discussed between the prime minister, the Australian Public Service Commission and the Minister assisting the Prime Minister on the Public Service, Michaelia Cash.
Senator Sinodinos said he realised some people had reservations about performance arrangements and the introduction of a new system would require rigorous discussion and broad support.

Source: Canberra Times