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Has the bureaucracy gone mad?
Migration Alliance’s Liana Allan recently had a ‘Thank you’ card returned with a letter from the APS officer suggesting that the card is somehow a breach of the APS Code of Conduct and as such the card had to be returned as the officer needed ‘not to be seen to be biased or impartial’.
Click here for a copy of the returned thank you card plus the letter from DIBP
The officer from the FOI and Privacy Section stated in the letter enclosing Liana Allan's 'Thank you" card that, “I am bound by the APS Code of Conduct which requires that as an APS employee I must at all times behave in a way that upholds the APS Values and APS Employment Principles.”
The APS Code of Conduct, The Public Service Regulations (1999) and the APS Employment Policy and Advice Guide do deal with the issue of gifts and benefits (There is no mention of cards). However, the APS guidelines recognise that issues in these areas are “not always straightforward” and in effect allows some discretion.
Such discretion fortunately has been exercised with some common sense business etiquette in mind in several other instances. Liana Allan points out, “Over the past 12 months I have sent around 10 of these thank you cards to various sections of the DIBP. The other cards have not been returned in this way. This is absolutely ridiculous.”
And actually quite insulting, let alone the waste of time and cost by the officer involved in drafting that letter and returning the card by registered post with the suggestion that Liana write to the Global Feedback Unit with her compliments, which now of course has to be a complaint.
“I was not writing to the DIBP in my capacity as an agent. I am writing to them in my capacity as Secretary of Migration Alliance Inc, one of their key stakeholders, an approved voluntary organisation, member of Philanthropy Australia and Pro Bono Australia. I cannot believe that a basic thank you card was returned to me.” says Liana.
And that’s how you turn a compliment into a complaint.
Comments
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Monday, 14 April 2014How much tax payer money did it cost and how much time did it take to write the letter and then to return the card registered post?
Couldn't it be sent to GFU internally with a quick email to Liana saying thanks it's been forwarded on?
Carrying favour.... No. It's a thank you card for goodness sakes for work already done. DIBP want that relationship with their stakeholders. MA is a stakeholder. It's a not for profit.
No words describe how ridiculous this is. Madness is an understatement. DIBP have thought way too hard this time. -
Monday, 14 April 2014
Why could this person not have used internal DIBP mail and simply forwarded the card Liana sent to the Global Feedback Unit?
The letter sent to Liana makes no sense.
On the third bullet point down in the letter to Liana it says 'contact us through any of our offices'.
Isn't that what Liana did? YES!
Isn't this about ettiquette and good business relations? -
Monday, 14 April 2014
Actually it's crazy. It's so crazy it could only belong to government. No wonder these people don't (or can't) work in the private sector. They would be given the sack. This DIBP officer has gone to such great lengths to protect herself that she can't see outside her own desk-space. It's not all about protecting your position at the DIBP, surely? There has to be more to working at the DIBP than ticking boxes and checking, micro-managing your world so that you can't get a complaint against you, you stick to the rules so much that - - - - I cannot go on. It's too weird for words. I cannot believe this is our government. Sad.
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Tuesday, 15 April 2014
I think liana was bullied by DIBP. She followed protocol. She did what it says to do. She was being nice and got literally 'punched' back by the DIBP. Totally uncalled for. Hope she makes a complaint. This time DIBP way out of line.
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Wednesday, 16 April 2014
Extract from letter:
"Good administrative decision making requires that I am not to be seen to be biased or impartial."
Let me emphasise:
"Not to be seen to be biased or impartial"
Why should they not be seen as impartial???
Definition of impartial: "treating all rivals or disputants equally"
Perhaps our wonderful Global Feedback Unit will be able to enlighten us on this issue.
Immigration blog
I understand the rule on this.
Liana's letter looks to be currying favour.
It could be construed as an attempt to get the officer to look at future requests in an uneven manner.
Writing 'Global" is better because they file the letter and retain statistics.
I always think it easier and as effective to tell the person on the telephone how thankful you are.
As for complaining, why would anyone complain to a blinkered regulatory board about a regulation that they have no intention of changing.
Best of Luck.