State Sector Bill closer to becoming law

Press, 18 March 1988, Page 6

State Sector Bill closer to becoming law

PA Wellington I The! State Sector) Bill moved a stage closer to becoming law last evening when Parliament voted to givl it a second reading. The! vote was won, 4430,|by[the Government- As exoected, none of the Sour backbenchers n<w 10 ™ le w '“’ ' ° Next'°weeK me HU

go through the committee stage in Parliament where it will ■ be scrutinised clause by;clause. This will be followed by 1 the third reading after which the bill will go to the Gover-[nor-General to be signed [into law. j !.)■!. Blatant ! political abuse j of the I Public Service (would not result from the bill, j said 1 the Minister of , State Services, Mr Rodger, ’-j i Moving! | the second '■ reading of the bill, he said

chief executives would!be selected because they, could effectively lead! a department which would give Ministers good advice, implement Government policies well and be run according to sound management and personnel principles. “Any Government that directed the appointment of someone who was .not recommended by the State Commission could Sfe taking a risk,” he

j 7 _ 7) ; said, i ' “Sutjh so-called political appointees would be looked at very carefully and any fault or inadequacy ion their part would reflect) directly on the Government.” ; | / In a press statement, Mr) kodger accused the Opposition of doing al Uturn on the bill. [ ‘‘They are opposed to it because it does not go[far enough,” he .said. T [ “I have always warned

workers rind 'Unions of the National Party’s true intent in terms 1 of labour market [reform. It is to take to them with a skinning [knife,” he said. The Pfime Minister. Mr Larige, said the bill was a main step to the kind of Public New Zealand needed. ) The National Pc.rty had made a) political appointment fqr the) State Services Commissioner, Dr Mervyn Probine, he said. I . . Ji

!- Ir H I "The: National Govern- ! ment [was prepared to ! have the public sector drowning in a sea of totally [wrong signals and muddlement and they were Content to have that and they were content to keep it there under the chairmanship of their political appointment Dr Mervyri Probine,” said Mr Lange.) In a speech continually interfdpted by spirited Opposition heckling, Mr

Lange said the bill would give the Public Service the flexibility it needed to reach its goals. “Those, [ departments will become effective instruments of policy.” The public were "absolutely behind the Government over ! the introduction of the State Sector Bill,” he said. The Leader of the Opposition, Mr Bolger, said the "politicisation the State service” had started in the Beehive.

;The core group of Miriisters’ private secretaries, [[culled from the Public Service and politically neutral, “have almost to a person been thrown out and replaced by party political hacks,” he said. [)' The first requirement now to get a job in: the Beehive is to be a cardcarrying, active member of the Labour Party.” This foreshadowed what would happen in the rest of the Public Service! i■ ■ I