2020-10-26
Greens Leader, Adam Bandt, says the Australia Post debacle is symptomatic of corporatisation, a problem that would only be made worse by full privatisation, as the Greens call instead for executive salary caps and a winding-back of privatisation.
At the National Press Club this month, Bandt outlined plans for a major inquiry into the impact of privatisation. This inquiry would include the impact of corporatisation of the public service.
“When the corporate model is exposed to be corrupted and scandal-ridden, some who advocated for the failed experiment will double-down and push for the privatisation of Australia Post,” Bandt said.
“Our corporatised public services have been infected with neoliberal ideology and privatisation would only make the problem worse.”
“Essential services should be run for the public good. By treating Australia Post as just another business, the government has allowed a ‘greed is good’ culture to dominate.
“The Australia Post scandal, made iconic by Cartier watches, is a symptom of a long ideological campaign to corporatise the culture and operations of public services.
“We should be winding back the corporatisation of our public services. Our wide-ranging inquiry will reveal the full impact of privatisation and corporatisation in this country.
“The Greens would also work towards ending so-called ‘performance-based pay’ for executives. This is a failed experiment. It has not improved performance, but it has eroded a sense of teamwork and it is inconsistent with the role and culture of the public service.
The Public Governance Performance and Accountability Amendment Executive Remuneration Bill (2017), which the Greens have already tabled would tie executive pay across the public service, including Australia Post, to 5 times the Australia-wide average wage (approximately $420,000).
“We could have started a culture change years ago, but the bill didn’t get support. We’re looking to put the proposal to cap executive salaries back to Labor and the Crossbench again now,” Bandt said
New research from Ownership Matters, released today, showed a ‘directors club’ in Australia’s biggest corporations.
“Is this the club we want Australia Post to join? The corporate model is one of runaway executive salaries and the ‘game of mates’. It’s a broken model stemming from a trickle-down agenda and it’s one that the Greens aim to reign in,” Bandt said.