A day after the Coalition revealed plans by Joe Tripodi’s department, the NSW Maritime Authority, to hire a new speech writer, the NSW Government has been caught out trying to dodge Nathan Rees’ “staffing freeze” again.

“Back-office functions, such as procurement and human
resources, will be consolidated… via the Government's ongoing back-office recruitment freeze” – John Robertson, 17 June 2009 

“Procurement, human resources, payroll and those sorts of
support services are back office…” – John Robertson, 23 June 2009

Shadow Special Minister of State, Chris Hartcher, today revealed that this week’s Public Sector Notices positions vacant include 11 administration, administrative support or Ministerial liaison positions.

“Government Departments and Cabinet Ministers alike are treating Nathan Rees’ edicts like a joke. Only two months after the Premier announced a recruitment freeze and a halt on back-office hiring, his departments and Ministers are recruiting like it never happened.

“The Roads and Traffic Authority simply included the phrase ‘front line’ in one of their job ads to get past the Premier’s road-block. What rubbish.

“There’s nothing front line about a Ministerial Liaison Officer responsible for providing, ‘quality ministerial correspondence’ for David Campbell.

“Building roads for the RTA is front line - checking the Minister’s spelling on a document, is not - claiming otherwise is a sham.

“This week’s notices are littered with Administration and Accounts Officer and Administrative Assistant positions.

“Some departments have tried to dress their positions up like Christmas turkeys to make them sound as ‘front line’ as possible but these are exactly the sort of positions that Minister for public Sector Reform, John Robertson, said would not be filled.

“Robertson himself has eight Ministerial staff who have managed to issue only three public-sector-related press releases this year. The one thing his office was tasked with, the recruitment freeze, they can’t get right.

“Some departments are obviously sticking to the rules and are getting by with what they have. It’s unfair that John Robertson lets other Ministers and their departments flout the rules.

“John Robertson and Nathan Rees have lost control and it’s starting to show,” Mr Hartcher said.