Victorian public servants like ‘scared rabbits’, says ombud Glass

Victorian bureaucrats behaved like “scared rabbits” when asked to provide evidence of public service politicisation during the Andrews government, according to departing ombud Deborah Glass.

In an interview with The Weekend Australian, Glass said many public servants were terrified of speaking to her office for the landmark report into Victorian public service politicisation, which was handed down last December.

“I didn’t expect the extent of the fear,” she said. “The process of trying to chase rabbits down holes and finding a lot of scared rabbits was very challenging.