Diploma in Public Service Bilge-101

Date: February 19, 2014

Hon. Tony Simpson

Minister for Local Government & Communities

Dear Minister,

Your Ref:  Letter from Jenni Law.(see attached)

The letter from your Jenni Law could be considered condescending in tone, and banal in content.

Furthermore Ms Law could not even get the date of this, signed,  letter of response right, unless she created a stock-standard letter of reply in February 2014.

She did save the worst for last, claiming she is the Director of Logal Government Regulation and Support.

This gives rise to the old truism “Wunce Ey culdnt eevan spel Derecta ov Logal Govmunt Regolatoin un Siport- noew Ey ah wun.

It is reasonable to suggest that you should peremptorily suspend her, thereby giving her the opportunity to embrace some specialized literary training so in future she does not make herself and your office the laughing stock of all the residents and ratepayers of the State of Western Australia.

Yours sincerely

David Taylor

York Ratepayer.

_____________________________________________________________________________

FOR THE ATTENTION OF:                                                                            Dated: February 18, 2015                                                                        

Ms. Rachel Donkin                                                                                                                                 Government Media Director

Dear Ms. Donkin

Your Ref:      LAME BRAIN LETTERS FROM PUBLIC SERVANTS (Please Note Attachment)

Congratulations on your appointment as Government Media Director. It is a bit sad about Dixie Marshall. Her colourful profanity was a source of great amusement amid the Media.
However, if words are like weapons you are bound to do yourself some collateral damage.

I am sure it comes as no surprise to you that some of the written responses to public questions delivered-up by public servants are cringe value only, and damage the reputation of the government. 

As one example I draw your attention to the above response from Ms. Jenni Law. Arguably she is a public service nonentity with delusions of grandeur, buried in the Dickensian bowels of the Department of Local Government workhouse, shuffling York community’s ‘great expectations” from one dead file-pile to another. She even has the date wrong, unless she wrote it a year ago, on February 16, 2014.

Several paragraphs in this letter are public servant gibberish at its very worst. Ms Law has no idea if the remains of the suspended York Shire Council are doing their lessons or not, and an even less idea of a positive end result. The last paragraph is purely sanctimonious cant.

Prior to the next State Election it may be wise to put out an edict that any written public servant response has the recipients name at the top, the date, and an unintelligible signature at the bottom. The rest of the page should be blank . This could give the public the delusion that there may have been something on the page that bore some tiny resemblance to an intelligible straight answer to a question.

Yours sincerely

David Taylor York Ratepayer

Date: January 17, 2015.
JENNI LAW
DIRECTOR LOCAL GOVERNMENT REGULATION AND SUPPORT
Gordon Stephenson House
140 William Street
PERTH WA 6000

Your Ref:                       E1504044  Y1- 18#14
                                        SHOW CAUSE NOTICE RESPONSE

Dear Ms Law

Thank you for you emailed response to my correspondence dated January 16, 2015 regarding your Show Cause Notice.

It must have taken you years to perfect this kind of trite response. I believe it is called a Diploma in Public Service Bilge-101.

Yes the tenor of my correspondence was extremely angry and critical of the level of competence shown by your department and Minister Simpson. A view apparently now shared by Premier Colin Barnett, who, according to Press Reports, is trying to lay the blame for the local government reform fiasco at the feet of Minister Simpson.

Tony Simpson has and I quote ‘been hung out to dry” by Mr. Barnett. You and others may well end up on the same clothesline.

You say we should be assured that at all times the process (the Show Cause Notice) was followed in accordance with advice received. That advice is your problem!

 I think you may find that the opportunity for elected members to embrace the specialised training being offered by the Department (Puppy School for Maligned Members) has yet to ensure anything. It has not happened.

Please refrain from disgracing yourself by using sycophantic platitudes such as “they can return to office in a position to be able to provide good governance for all the residents and ratepayers of the Shire”. Who do you think you are talking about?-  Kindergarten-Kids!

If there has been any failure, as Director of Local Government Regulation, that failure is yours.

Enjoy yourself until the next State Election.

Yours sincerely

David Taylor      York Ratepayer.