Good cause for optimism: 1912 and 2012
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.26686/pq.v8i4.4431Keywords:
Public Service Act, security and independence, merit-based system, ‘emerging economies', myopic economic and fiscal wisdom, Labour Party’s fair society, economic welfare, cross-agency cooperation, agency silos, Globalisation, Neo-liberalismAbstract
A ‘young professional’ in the public service in 1912 had good cause for optimism. The Public Service Act 1912, which enacted most of the recommendations of the Hunt Royal Commission, had created a merit-based system with standardised conditions of employment, pay and pensions, and hiring, firing and promotion decided by the public service commissioner. That gave security and independence. There were yearly pay rises for new entrants (cadets); a capable officer could earn a respectable sum by his thirties (this was an overwhelmingly male service); there was annual leave and ‘liberal sick leave on pay’ and the opportunity to earn professional qualifications (Public Service Commissioner, 1920, p.6).
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