EMBARGO: 7.00 p. m.
PRIME MINISTER
FOR PRESS 12 MARCH 1973
ELECTORATE TALK
One of my Government's first promises when we were elected
just over two years ago was to restore the integrity and honesty
of Government.
Without integrity without the appearance and reality of
integrity no government can hope to have the confidence of the
people, or the trust of the people.
We were determined to restore Australians faith in their national
government and in the process of government. From the
beginning, the government desired to reestablish the absolute
propriety and unquestioned integrity that were a hallmark
of the Menzies years in Australia.
Because a number of areas needed review we acted quickly firmly
and fairly. First, we took action in relation to the pecuniary
interests of Ministers of the Crown. Within days of taking
office, I wrote to every Minister asking for a full personal
statement of their pecuniary interests. I was acting on the
basic principle that Ministers in * a position of privilege
must at all times avoid any conflict between public duty and
private interest. Ministers staff were also required to meet this
principle. Since that time, the. Government has decided that
additional steps had to be taken to completelymeet the objective.
A few weeks ago, I announced that Sir Nigel Bowen had agreed to
chair a wide ranging judicial inquiry into matters relating to
the question of public duty and private interest.
A matter of public concern and comment the question of gifts
to Ministers was also reviewed. Nowsr, Ministers who receive gifts
on overseas visit must declare them to me as Prime Minister on their
return. If gifts are more than token in nature, they are valued.
and Ministers are then given an opportunity to purchase.
The question of the selection and appointment of senior public
servants has also been reviewed by my Government. We were determined
to maintain one of the most important foundations of the
Parliamentary system of Government the political neutrality of
the public service. / 2
My Government strongly believed one of the best safeguards of
the long-term political neutrality of the public service was a
system of appointment that prevents any person appointed for
partisan reasons retaining permanent terms of office. We now
have that system. Any Departmental head who is appointed without
the recommendation of a special top level committee can be removed
from office by an incoming government.
Further, in amending the Act of Parliament to bring this about,
we were also very conscious of the need to give special weight to the
integrity of the Australian public service and in particular
to the well-established principle of appointment on merit.
The Government has also asked the Public Service Board to
examine and report on a code of ethics for public servants and
Commonwealth employees. The Government also has. under review
the practice of retired parliamentarians, public servants and
others once on the Commonwealth payroll continuing to receive
superannuation and similar benefits if they take up further
Commonwealth appointments.
The question of propriety and the integrity of public administration
in Australia has been canvassed in the Parliament this week in
relation to a computer contract. The key and central question
that my Government concerned itself with was whether in the
awarding of this contract that justice was not only done, but
was seen to be done. That had to be the issue.
The Government in this case, was not convinced that justice had been
done. We were sure that justice had not seen to be done.
Accordingly, we took the only proper course the course we would
take again in the same circumstance'-we recalled tenders.
At the same time, we referred this whole question of Government
employees working in the tendering process to Sir Nigel Bowen's
inquiry into public duty and private interest.
My Government has demonstrated again and again our fundamental
commitment to restoring integrity to-public administration
in Australia. Our record in this regard is without parallel in
our history. As long as I lead the Government, there is no way known
that anything less than the highest code and practice of public
administration will be tolerated.