More on State Failures

It was only a short time following my previous post on this topic that I noticed another glaring instance of incompetence within the same ministerial portfolio, namely, Community Services.

This portfolio is often handed to up-and-coming ministers, but in this case is being 'managed' by one of the leaders of the Victorian parliament, Gavin Jennings. The Community Services portfolio is one which impinges upon the lives of thousands of Victorians, but doesn't seem to get the high profile of areas such as health, education, or policing.

I am aware of information that strongly suggests that the latest crisis in the Community Services sector has been 'managed' by senior bureaucrats, who have demanded that an already chronically under-resourced staff group simply work more, in order to take the spotlight off the minister.

Obviously, that powers-that-be are not taking these sorts of issues seriously. Hopefully Jennings will come to his senses and learn from the mistakes of his predecessor, Christine Campbell, who was demoted for an arguably less serious case of ministerial neglect.

UPDATE: Stateline in Victoria ran an article on this very issue. Jennings appeared particularly bumbling and incompetent. See the transcript here.