The rumour surrounding a top public servant that won’t go away
Welcome Brisbane Times’ Queensland public sector column, Public Circus. This week: Sosso departure rumors, human rights office review, Ombudsman staff woes, ‘mind the gap’ on racism and more.
For some time, rumors have been circulating about an impending change in the upper echelons of the civil service: John Sosso.
The State Development chief, who also wore other important hats, was said to be watching the door before serving on the redistribution commission.
However, with the final decision of this organization to be published soon, the whispers in the Circus tent are focusing on another turning point: predictions.
Word around 1 William Street is that Sosso may not face parliamentary scrutiny for a second year.
We asked both Sosso and his minister. Jarrod Bleijie relevant. Sosso’s department media team did not provide us with any comment.
Scandal around Tim Mander may trigger yet change in ministers – can we also see department bosses reciprocate this?
Of course, there are a few pieces in play. “Change” related to Chris Lamont with (Customer Services chief) David Sinclair (Deputy director general of the Prime Minister and Cabinet), for starters.
Michael Drane still operating above Youth Justice, Brett Points remains only interim Police Commissioner (a recruitment process is said to be in the offing) and All Child Safety department was floated.
By our calculation, that means three department heads with less than six months left on their jobs are making preliminary estimates; Always helpful when asked about pre-existing issues.
And that’s before you throw Sosso’s see-you-see rumors into the mix. It’s a shame because Circus still has unanswered questions For experienced bureaucrats
Another name with a short delivery time is Mander’s position as head of the sports, racing and Olympics cabinet. Andrew Powell. But let’s not get too ahead of ourselves; First there is a budget!
Human rights watchdog to face initial scrutiny – and the rest
Thursday saw news of the Queensland Human Rights Commission’s first legal review, as well as a new amendment to the relevant Human Rights Act.
However, the work to be carried out by the retired Supreme Court Judge Peter Flanagan RoC will go beyond what is required by law by the end of March 2027.
Flanagan will review the functions of the commission he currently leads and their performance. Debbie PlatzIt includes “all structural and operational aspects”, relationships with other public sector organisations, victims of crime and more.
He was also tasked with reviewing elements of the former Labor government’s Respect at Work laws, which were stalled by the Attorney General. Deb Frecklington last year.
“The reviewer should also consider how to best protect the rights of victims of crime,” the terms of reference state. published last week To read. Given that the state has a separate, independent Victims Commissioner, this was the focus that attracted Circus’ attention. Kate Connors.
When this imprint spoke to Platz earlier this year, he told us he wanted to find “efficiency and efficiency gains” with other commissioners.
Circus will also be watching with interest to see what Flanagan can do about the difference in approach between Platz and his predecessor. Scott McDougall – especially considering the outlook of some people in government previously held office: shouldn’t exist.
AI complaints and lack of teeth trouble Ombudsman staff
Speaking of legal reviews by independent public sector bodies: The latest look at the Queensland Ombudsman’s office landed earlier this month.
Beyond the reviewer’s calls John McMillan shoot back forum of senior responsible bodies With the Queensland Government Integrity Committee (Not meeting since 2023) were some insights into AI creep.
It is suggested that one of the reasons behind the eight per cent increase in complaints is the increased use of generative AI tools to write them, leading to “longer and less targeted” approaches from those submitting complaints, including the usual “hallucinations”.
“While this is to be expected, these instances of inappropriate reliance on AI tools are having a destabilizing effect on the complaints function and staff morale in a number of ways,” McMillan noted in one of his findings.
On another note, Anthony Reilly He leaves his post as Ombudsman little fanfare or explanationIt’s a matter of office visibility. That is, how public the agency is with its work is an important part of its legal role.
Few of the other government agencies involved in the review process “could easily provide examples or point to specific investigations or reports.” This view was even shared by some Ombudsman employees.
“In the view of some staff, the office lacked a strong appetite for addressing and reporting on systemic administrative issues or confronting agencies,” the review said.
Not exactly a polished look. But Circus doesn’t recall much of the office’s headline-grabbing work in recent years – certainly not like the Victorian executive watchdog Deborah GlassA person who has recently left office after a non-renewable term of 10 years.
While McMillan’s review suggested that the three-year terms of his Queensland colleagues should be extended, it was noted that the issues were not raised by Reilly, but no formal recommendation was followed.
Recent job postings have suggested this role could be extended for up to five years, with possible extensions. Will we see a change in the office’s approach under new leadership? Only time will tell.
Child safety inquiry boss’s London Underground racism theory
Many stakeholders still review Child Safety Inquiry Commissioner Paul Anastassiou‘s 1400 page volumeSome fine details begin to attract attention.
One element of this is the stance taken by the short 10-month inquiry around questions about the over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in the system.
On this front, investigation report Relying heavily on contributions from the Cape York Institute founded by Noel Pearson, he called for the investigation to take a “harder path” and confront “proximate causes”.
These are “widespread epidemics of substance abuse in Indigenous communities,” the institute said. [and] the environment of passive welfare that solidifies them”.
While the investigation did not suggest this would rule out racism as a factor, it said the institute “does not continue to put racist explanations at the forefront of its causal theories” like other groups.
“The absence of an abstract force such as racism is extremely difficult to prove, even more difficult than making accusations,” the investigation said, noting that such findings are not a “burden or function” anyway.
Despite this, the inquiry “found no evidence to support such a conclusion” as to whether racism was a factor in the removal of First Nations children, and “Is ‘Stolen Generations’ on repeat?” It was included under a subheading containing the question.
“The ambition of public policy is summed up in the metaphor of ‘closing the gap’,” the inquiry later noted. “The Commission suggests that the warning broadcast on the London Underground rail network saying ‘mind the gap’ might be a better metaphor.
“In other words, cross the gap. This metaphor may be more appropriate because it implies that it is possible for an individual to do something about the gap without waiting until the gap is eliminated. This does not mean that the gap should not be bridged as well.”
Another “distinctive feature” of the institute’s evidence, according to the inquiry, was its call for “a range of measures, including alcohol management plans and compulsory income management, under the local authority of the family responsibility commission”.
The government is expected to publicly respond to the report’s recommendations by the end of next month.
A quick look at QFleet’s fuel consumption
After the war in Iran sent fuel prices skyrocketing, some government critics wondered to Circus how fuel consumption in the public sector fleet has been monitored since the LNP lifted its electric vehicle mandate.
And it turns out quite well.
A year has passed since the Minister of Public Works Sam O’Connor replaced the mandate with a promise to reduce emissions at QFleet by 10 percent by 2030.
He argued that Labour’s plan to switch all eligible vehicles to electric by 2026 was ineffective given it applied to around 3600 out of more than 11,000 vehicles.
As of the end of May, there was a decrease of approximately 4.5 percent in emissions.
Between April 2025 and March, the mix of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles increased by nearly 280 percent compared to the previous year, while fully electric cars in the fleet increased by 5 percent and hybrids by 8.5 percent.
While the number of diesel vehicles remained relatively stable (up 0.21 percent), the number of gasoline vehicles fell by almost 41 percent.
During the same period, diesel consumption increased by 3.5 percent, but E10 fell by approximately 27 percent and non-fuel consumption increased by approximately 44 percent.
O’Connor told Circus the figures confirmed the move to abandon the EV mandate.
“Instead, empowering our frontline workers to choose the vehicles that best suit their needs across Queensland was the right call for both service delivery and emissions reduction,” he said.
Matt Dennien is a reporter for the Brisbane Times covering state politics, parliament and the public sector. He previously worked for newspapers in Tasmania and Brisbane community radio station 4ZZZ. Contact him securely on Signal @mattdennien.15Connect via email.
James Hall is News Director of the Brisbane Times. He is a former Queensland correspondent for The Australian Financial Review and has covered a range of headlines across the country, specializing in political and financial reporting.Connect with: X or email.
