moondoong, I used to think the same, based upon the few public servants that I knew. So it was with a mixture of amusement and anticipation that I took a contract with a Govt. dept. What were they really like?
No different to any other big organisation. Plenty of people keen to do a good job, despite having to put up with the odd drop kicks, and the usual problem of managers rising to a level or two above their limit of competence. Some areas run really well because they did have a good manager, others where sick days were rostered amongst the staff.
Despising people who ensure that when you have a crap in the morning that it doesn't all just overflow when you flush is a bizarre attitude.
Having said all that, there IS plenty of scope for job cuts, of positions, or whole departments, that are a total waste of space. In Brisbane Water, for example, we had a marketing dept. (it was created whilst I was there). Why???? These were all competent people, doing a great job, but to no effect at all, as they have a captive audience of 2m customers.
Up here, it was the ALP who did the forced council amalgamations, so it's not a political divide on that issue. But the real crime is giving people fake jobs in the first place, so that when the taxpayers money runs out they have to find real jobs at the worst possible time.
