The major political parties have lost sight of the real priorities in the NSW public service in circumstances where there are shortages of nurses and police but some unproductive officials are earning well in excess of $300,000 a year, according to independent upper house candidate and leading QC, David Rofe.

Mr Rofe said this situation had been allowed to arise because the actions of consecutive State Governments had not been subject to the same oversight and scrutiny as that applied in the Federal sphere.

“The shape and texture of the Commonwealth Public Service is far better controlled than that of the NSW bureaucracy simply because the Federal Parliament has an effective committee system which appropriately scrutinises how and where money is being spent,” he said.  “The same system needs to apply in NSW.”

Mr Rofe said he was astounded that the major political parties could debate the size of the NSW public service without addressing the core issue – its actual make-up.

“Nobody disputes the fact that there are shortages of nurses and police, yet no one then discusses the number of largely unproductive bureaucrats earning six figure sums and driving up-market cars which are paid for by tax-payers,” he said.

“The upper house is well-placed to scrutinise these issues, but the major parties have ensured that it has simply become a rubber stamp.  That is something that I am determined to end.”

Mr Rofe said he was particularly disturbed when examining the make-up of the NSW Health Department.

“At a time when we have chronic waiting lists and disenfranchised front-line medical staff, we seem to be able to fund battalions of bureaucrats who may know how to build empires but certainly don’t know how to run a health system,” he said.

Mr Rofe said that it was high time that the composition of the NSW Public Service was subjected to an audit to ensure that it was structured to meet community needs and priorities.

“The heads of every NSW Government Department should be made to front an appropriately constituted Parliamentary Committee and explain in detail how their Budgets are being spent,” he said.

“The debate should not be about cutting 20,000 jobs from the NSW public service, it should be about ridding the public service of shiny-bummed fat cats who are failing to deliver,” Mr Rofe said.