Those pesky Sherpa’s!

I distinctly recall it. It was early in 2010 - back in the days when the weekly Chief’s of Staff meetings were content rich and consequently, well attended. In fact back in those days, there weren’t enough comfy leather chairs for everyone who attended. Latecomers had to scavenge the nearby office and sit behind me and the other pinstriped ambitious men (and a couple of bright ladies) who were always early enough to secure a front-row seat at the big oval slab of old-growth forest.

Those days are long gone and so it seems, is the commitment to the Premier’s personal commandment on that day that he would no longer tolerate the State’s Public Sherpa’s, oops, Servants (see Sherpa's Revolt for the background of that) speaking publicly about Government policy. That decree had been provoked by a number of government agency bosses who had recently made public statements regarding the direction government should be taking in the future.

As a fairly new recruit to the big table, I remember being both impressed and fully supportive of the directive. To me, the Premier had it right – the Sherpa shouldn’t lead the expedition… our elected representatives should set the policy agenda and the public service should provide the administrative support required to enact the agenda of the government of the day.

Back then, us Chiefs of Staff were told in no uncertain terms to ensure the heads of our respective agencies understood that the media was not the appropriate forum in which to float policy ideas. That seemed to work, for a while at least.

But check out today’s media:

• Police Commissioner Karl O’Callaghan has written an opinion piece for the West Australian Newspaper and appeared live on ABC talkback declaring that juvenile offending is “rapidly spiralling out of control” calling for a higher rate of juvenile detention (and effectively shifting blame to the Courts and Corrective Services for the current juvenile crime rate).

• And Road Safety Council Chairman D’Arcy Holman is again on the front foot by appearing live on radio 6PR proposing all manner of government policy in the area of road safety.

This comes after a couple of weeks during which a Departmental THIN report ruled out keeping our MP’s in touch with current IT trends (Col Pot: No iPad for you!), the Public Sector Commissioner said the Premier’s dismissal of a senior media adviser was not justified and the Economic Regulation Authority contradicted the Premier and Energy Minister’s declaration that a re-merged Synergy and Verve would reduce upward pressure on electricity tariffs.

I really don’t know what happened to the Premier’s dislike of public sector employees publicly leading the state’s policy agenda but with less than a year before the next election, it will be important for him to clarify with the public whether the dog is indeed in control of its tail.

Sherpa's revolt

As pointed out by the (hardly) ever insightful “Inside Cover” in Saturday’s West Australian newspaper, I’ve had my fair share of life experiences. And while I’ve never been a mountaineering guide like those colloquially named after the noble Sherpa people of Nepal, I certainly get the feeling that I have some insight into their daily lives – and it would appear, other politically aware Western Australians do too.

You see, a stereotypical “Sherpa” according to many of us western lounge-lizards, is a pretty ordinary guy who pays his bills by doing what he does best - thinking for other people who don’t have his specialist knowledge. We rarely hear their names because it’s their job to quietly help rich men in suits climb mountains, update their Facebook pages and document their self-proclaimed heroism with cameras that cost more then the annual GDP of the Sherpa’s entire village. Sometimes the men in suits choose to outright ignore their Sherpa’s advice and no doubt also blame them for not fore-warning of an imminent danger obvious to everyone other than the moody guy with the money. But still, by all accounts, they put their heads down and keep trying to do what they do in a professional manner.

Now, I’m sure that’s not a fair representation of all climber/Sherpa relationships, but I reckon QBF readers are smart enough to see the analogy I’m trying to draw. However, for those Robin Williams fans who like it s-p-e-l-l-e-d out for you at the end of the movie: some of our Ministers are just like the precious, Facebooking men in suits trampling over everything in order to get to their own personal summit - and the Sherpa’s are sometimes like their hard-working, highly skilled advisers.

But the analogy can’t stop there – I haven’t yet been able to bring donkeys into the story…

After listening to Professor D'Arcy Holman, the Chairman of the State’s Road Safety Council, talking to Paul Murray on radio 6PR this morning, our State’s public sherpas, umm servants, appear to have learned another secret of their Nepalese associates: When you’re dealing with donkey’s (or Asses because it’s more fun to call them that in this context), you first try to move them with a carrot and if that doesn’t work, you bring out a mighty big stick!

Professor Holman talked extensively to the doyen of Western Australian current affairs about how the Government might spend the $80 million a year it expects to receive from red light and speed camera fines starting this July. The Professor, who is obviously well versed in the art of making asses move against their will, cleverly used the opportunity to ensure that the public knows he and his council are trying to use a carrot in the first instance:

“I, like you and everyone else, am waiting to see what the government does in response to our recommendations… but in the interests of good governance it is necessary to allow the government some time to consider our recommendations and to formulate its response before it makes its public statement about where it stands.”

Giddyup… move forward… here boy… Sounds like the Road Safety Council enjoys a pleasant and mutually respectful relationship with their political asses (told you it was fun to say).

But then the truth - Mr Holman doesn’t have much faith that the Government will voluntarily do what he wants it too. In true Sherpa style, he humbly pointed to the big stick in his back pocket:

“I am concerned about the possibility that these funds could be misspent in a way that is not consistent with the priorities to reducing deaths and saving injuries on our roads… money could be whittled away in cost shifting or really just funding the wrong things because they are popular… I will make certain that you (the media) know what we recommended… I would be more than happy to enable a comparison between the government’s final position and what we recommended.”

Yar mule!!!  Them’s fightin’ words for sure.

Unfortunately for the Government, the Road Safety Minister, who should be putting on the gloves to jump into the ring with a committee that sounds just a little too big for its boots probably doesn’t have the strength to win yet another bloody bout. And it’s not just strength Minister Johnson is short of. It’s support too. There’s no doubt it’s possible for a tired boxer to perk up with the crowd behind him in the final rounds, but sadly for the kind-hearted Member for Hillarys, the public and according to Federal Liberal Member Don Randall, some of his State colleagues have started cheering for someone else.

That leaves the Premier with only two rather ugly choices: contradict what he said last December with another reshuffle and move Mr Johnson aside before next year’s election; or do what he absolutely detests and let public servants (I know Mr Holman thinks he’s not, but in this role he really is) dictate government policy by just rolling over and funding everything the Council has asked for.

My best guess is the former, but he won’t bring it on unless he absolutely has to.

He said last week from Singapore that Mr Johnson had his “full confidence and support” – seemingly overlooking the fact that he stripped Minister Johnson of the FESA portfolio only 3 months ago without as much as a courtesy phone call.

The truth is, Mr Barnett does not have full confidence in Minister Johnson, plain and simple.

However, he knows reshuffles cause tension within the Party and uncertainty within the public so he will mull over it trying to avoid any sign of weakness or the appearance of a damaging scandal. He really doesn’t want any more change in the Cabinet, but slowly the Premier will carry out his unique, hands-off curing process and Minister Johnson will eventually be hung out and dry. When the Premier is finally forced to act his economically-minded travel buddy Mike Nahan or very capable (and female) Liza Harvey will receive a new title and pay rise. This move will create other problems for the Premier primarily because there’s a line of other backbenchers who think they others should go to make room for them – but we’ll save that insight for another day.

In the meantime, Mr Barnett will huff and puff about public servants not setting government policy, while secretly hoping the distraction is enough to keep the ropes strong and able to hold Minister Johnson up - just for the last round or two.