Ministerial Staff Under the Howard Government: Problem, Solution or Black Hole? Author Tiernan, Anne-Maree Published 2005 Thesis Type Thesis (PhD Doctorate) School Department of Politics and Public Policy DOI https://doi.org/10.25904/1912/3587 Copyright Statement The author owns the copyright in this thesis, unless stated otherwise. Downloaded from http://hdl.handle.net/10072/367746 Griffith Research Online https://research-repository.griffith.edu.au Ministerial Staff under the Howard Government: Problem, Solution or Black Hole? Anne-Maree Tiernan BA (Australian National University) BComm (Hons) (Griffith University) Department of Politics and Public Policy, Griffith University Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy November 2004 Abstract This thesis traces the development of the ministerial staffing system in Australian Commonwealth government from 1972 to the present. It explores four aspects of its contemporary operations that are potentially problematic. These are: the accountability of ministerial staff, their conduct and behaviour, the adequacy of current arrangements for managing and controlling the staff, and their fit within a Westminster-style political system. In the thirty years since its formal introduction by the Whitlam government, the ministerial staffing system has evolved to become a powerful new political institution within the Australian core executive. Its growing importance is reflected in the significant growth in ministerial staff numbers, in their increasing seniority and status, and in the progressive expansion of their role and influence. There is now broad acceptance that ministerial staff play necessary and legitimate roles, assisting overloaded ministers to cope with the unrelenting demands of their jobs. However, recent controversies involving ministerial staff indicate that concerns persist about their accountability, about their role and conduct, and about their impact on the system of advice and support to ministers and prime ministers. The contemporary ministerial staffing system is an organisation of considerable complexity and diversity. This study profiles its key features and elements, with a focus on the governance framework within which ministerial staff work. Analysis of staffing arrangements under the Whitlam, Fraser, Hawke and Keating governments shows that all governments have built on the innovations of their predecessors, developing arrangements that reflect their own needs and preferences. But, as this thesis demonstrates, governance arrangements to regulate and control ministerial staff have not evolved as quickly as structures to help and support ministers. Two case studies from the later years of the Keating government demonstrate that problems always inherent to the ministerial staffing system became increasingly evident as public sector reforms challenged the role of the public service, and boundaries between the respective roles and responsibilities of ministerial staff and public servants became blurred. As ministerial offices became larger and there were greater demands on ministers, questions arose about their capacity to manage and supervise their ministerial staff. ii There has been no scholarly analysis of ministerial staffing arrangements under the Howard government. This thesis contributes original data and analysis documenting the further evolution of the ministerial staffing system during the period 1996 to 2004. This shows the trend towards large, active and interventionist ministerial staffing arrangements has continued under the Howard government. The ministerial staffing system has evolved in ways that reinforce the power of the Prime Minister. Ministerial staff are a key means by which public service responsiveness is achieved. They reach deep into the operations of the bureaucracy in their quest for information and advice. Although it has enhanced employment arrangements for ministerial staff, the Howard government has done little to strengthen the governance framework within which they operate. In the absence of a clear framework, confusion has arisen about the demarcation of roles between ministerial staff and public servants. Two cases, the 1997 Travel Rorts affair and the 2001 Children Overboard controversy, provide a dynamic account of the contemporary ministerial staffing system in operation. They also provide an empirical basis for assessing the adequacy of the current governance framework for ministerial staff. This thesis concludes that the actions of the Howard government in handling controversies involving ministerial staff have undermined the already weak governance framework regulating and controlling them. Over time, and especially in the past decade, the ministerial staffing system has broken out of the framework on which its development was premised. In a constitutional and managerial sense, the contemporary staffing system is ‘out of control’. This thesis identifies important parallels between the problems with ministerial staff that are being experienced in Australian and other Westminster systems, and those that have characterised the White House staff. The US experience offers a useful way of understanding the endemic problems of political staffing, and highlights potential trajectories along which the Australian system might develop if left unchecked. Finally, the thesis considers proposals for reforming the ministerial staffing system, and assesses the prospects of such proposals being adopted by current and future Australian governments. iii Statement of Originality This work has not previously been submitted for a degree or diploma in any university. To the best of my knowledge and belief, the thesis contains no material previously published or written by another person except where due reference is made in the thesis itself. Anne-Maree Tiernan iv Acknowledgements There have been many times over the past four years that I thought this dissertation would never be finished. Indeed it would not have been, without the help and support of family, friends and colleagues. Professor Patrick Weller has been a generous and encouraging supervisor. His confidence in and support for this research – personal, professional and financial – has been invaluable. Dr Liz van Acker also gave generously of her time and support, doing many emotional hard-yards along the way. To them both, many thanks. I also benefited greatly from the collegial atmosphere of the Department of Politics and Public Policy at Griffith University. Professor John Wanna, Dr John Kane, Dr Patrick Bishop, Dr Haig Patapan, Dr Giorel Curran, Dr Robyn Hollander, my fellow postgraduate students and a number of visiting scholars, notably Professor Evert Lindquist and Professor Rod Rhodes, provided ideas, suggestions and intellectual support that were much appreciated as the research progressed. I am also grateful to the Political Science Program at the Research School of Social Sciences, Australian National University, which hosted a highly productive two-week visit in February 2003, at a crucial stage of the research. Thanks to Dr John Uhr and Professor Marian Sawer for facilitating this visit, and to Tracey Arklay for ensuring I devoted every minute of my stay to research and writing. I am especially indebted to Dr Ian Holland who provided much-needed motivation and encouragement at the outset and especially during the past year. Although not formally a supervisor of this thesis, it could not have been completed without his generosity and enthusiasm. Thanks also to Kerrie Eyers for proof-reading, editorial advice and for teaching me the intricacies of Harvard referencing. June Brine provided expert advice and assistance with consolidating the final manuscript. v I have incurred many personal debts over the course of this dissertation’s development. My parents took over a number of my responsibilities so that I could do interviews, travel and get on with my work. My sister Elizabeth gave selflessly of her time, listened to my complaints, brought wine and provided clerical assistance that proved invaluable during the writing stage. Thanks also to my parents-in-law who provided accommodation, encouragement and the use of their car during a research visit to Canberra. My husband Chris has been unwavering in his commitment to this thesis. I could not have achieved half the things that I have done in my life without his love and belief in me. Our sons James and Michael encouraged, cajoled and implored me to finish the thesis so that we can get our life back. Finally, this research would not have been possible without the cooperation of all those who provided background information or agreed to be interviewed. I thank them all and acknowledge their contribution. Any errors or omissions, of course, remain my responsibility. vi Table of Contents CHAPTER ONE: THE PROBLEM WITH STAFF ............................. 1 THE NEED FOR STAFF ...........................................................................................1 THE PROBLEM WITH STAFF....................................................................................4 UNDERSTANDING THE MINISTERIAL STAFFING SYSTEM: THE LITERATURE REVIEWED ..8 RESEARCH QUESTIONS ......................................................................................15 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY.................................................................................17 AN OVERVIEW OF THE THESIS..............................................................................23 CHAPTER TWO: THE MINISTERIAL STAFFING