Changes to the state’s Local Government Act, including the development of a model recruitment policy requiring Tasmanian councils to hire based on merit, are on the cards following the publication of findings from an integrity commission investigation.
The commission has put a spotlight on recruitment weaknesses at the local government level in its Investigation Smithies report, warning of real and perceived risks of nepotism and cronyism.
Integrity Commission CEO Michael Easton explained a provision for mandatory merit-based recruitment in the legislation was removed in 2005. It was imperative for public interest that the government reinstate this provision, he said.
“Legislation without clear policy guidelines on how people should administer the law leaves both individuals and organisations exposed. Therefore, we have recommended that the minister for local government develop a model policy for all councils in Tasmanian to adopt,” Easton said.
The special research report examining recruitment risks involving alleged misconduct in Tasmania’s local councils was tabled in the state parliament on Monday.
The investigation examined a number of the jobs that were direct appointments and did not involve advertising the position either internally or externally.
This arrangement also meant no conflict of interest needed to be recorded by local council hiring managers or selection panels.
“In this investigation, we found there was a failure to recognise that a professional association — where two people have worked together before — was a potential conflict of interest.
“This was followed by a failure to ever declare that potential conflict which in turn led to a complaint and these issues being investigated,” Easton said, stressing a clear policy framework and laws were needed in addition to staff training.
The commission found an absence of selection reports or documentation relating to the recruitment process; evidence of relationships leading to bias and favourable treatment of some candidates over others; and a total lack of documentation to explain why direct appointments were necessary over competitive ones.
According to the integrity commission boss, education programs would help to preserve and protect the reputation of public sector organisations, as well as promote workplace harmony.
“Getting the right people into the right roles benefits not just the council itself but also ratepayers who receive better public services as a result,” Easton said.
A report produced by the Tasmanian Audit Office two years ago made a similar recommendation to the government, advising the process for recruiting council general managers should be merit-based.
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