From this statement I don't think he gives a rats a for anybody else. So much for quality of life and the labor slogan '8 hours work, 8 hours play 8 hours sleep'
Well I suppose I've simply got news for the public service – there'll be more.
By Maria Hawthorne | May 29, 2008 PRIME Minister Kevin Rudd has put public servants on notice after an embarrassing leak which showed cabinet ignored the advice of four departments about its FuelWatch scheme.
Mr Rudd's department has launched an investigation into who leaked the document, which is a criminal offence.
Mr Rudd pointed the finger at the public service, saying he was confident none of his ministers was the source of the leak.
While he did not directly blame the bureaucracy, he said he was aware of complaints from some public servants about their workload under the new Government.
"I understand that there's been some criticism around the edges, that some public servants are finding the hours a bit much," Mr Rudd said.
"Well I suppose I've simply got news for the public service – there'll be more.
"This Government was elected with a clear-cut mandate, we intend to proceed with that. The work ethic of this Government will not decrease, it will increase."
Mr Rudd has earned the nickname of "24/7" for his long working hours and relentless demands on staffers.
Ministerial and departmental staff begin work before 7am and work well into the night, often beyond 10pm.
Asked if he regretted not purging the public service of former Howard Government staffers after last year's election, Mr Rudd said he would wear the pain of restoring the Westminster system of a fearless and frank public service.
"The Government took a view before the election that there'd be no night of the long knives, so we accept the consequences of that decision," he said.
"We think it was the right thing to do in order to restore something which resembles the Westminster system in Australia."
Mr Rudd said he was confident the leak had not come from any of his Cabinet colleagues.
"I'm absolutely confident in not just the direction in which the Government is proceeding on this, but the solidarity within the Government on delivering the best possible outcome for motorists," he said.
Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet (PM&C) secretary Terry Moran said the leak was "a matter of concern" and action had begun to track down the source.
"The department places paramount importance on the preservation of the integrity of the public service processes which support cabinet," Mr Moran said.
"These processes are essential to Australia's system of government."
The document, leaked to the Nine Network, showed four departments including PM&C expressed concern about FuelWatch, which forces service stations to fix their prices each day.
But Cabinet decided to go ahead with introducing a national scheme on the advice of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).
It was the second embarrassing Cabinet leak in as many days.
A letter from Resources Minister Martin Ferguson to Assistant Treasurer Chris Bowen, warning that FuelWatch was anti-competitive, was leaked to The Australian newspaper.
The Australian Federal Police has not yet been asked to investigate either leak, AFP Commissioner Mick Keelty said.
