it's only money

I have asked the question before: Why does the Bracks Government need to spend so much money on outside consultants? They spend millions of your dollars. Millions.

The obvious question: Isn’t Premier Bracks competent enough? Aren’t Cabinet members and their staffs competent enough? And what about the army of public servants – all slurping from the taxpayers’ trough experienced enough, or professional enough or knowledgeable to do the jobs they are well-paid to do without bringing in teams of consultants?

The latest doozy is the Department of Primary Industries. They paid a human relations consultant almost $1600 a day. That’s almost $8000 a week -- or $400,000 a year. This Noddyland. Isn’t there nobody already on the Government payroll who knows About “human relations”?

A Government spin doctor explained that they needed somebody outside the department with specialist knowledge of Industrial Relations law. What?  There’s nobody in the Government or the public service who knows about IR? Are they all flying blind in there?

But it is not only the Victorian Government that has helped fuel these rivers of gold for so-called outside experts whose firms are sprouting like Brussels sprouts.

The thing to do is bring in expensive American “experts” who must know what they are doing because they are Americans. And they ARE at psychobabble.

The ABC recently paid $200,000 to import an American expert to show on-air presenters how to improve their presentation. You’d think they had enough former presenters and managers and veteran radio people to do that – in-house.

Big Business is also doing it. But at least it is their money – or their shareholders’ money. Southern Cross, owners of 3AW, have done it with “ innovation” talks and pep talks. How to enthuse people, make them proud of  their jobs etcetera.

I can save a company thousands of dollars and get the same result. Don’t pay expensive motivators. Use the money to give your staff a pay rise. Now there’s an innovation for you.

And a final word on wasting Government money. Did you see the new logo – unveiled yesterday. It cost $750,000. To me, it looks like something a graphic arts student would turn out. Three quarters of a million bucks.

And they’ve come up with a new slogan. Wait for it: “You can come alive in Victoria”. What. So we are telling potential overseas customers that we think they are half-dead in their own country. I didn’t think I’d be saying this but it is even worse than “Victoria – The Place To Be.”

Friday, March 10, 2006 

©Copyright Derryn Hinch 2006