It's in limited release within the upper levels of government, but 7NEWS has obtained a copy of the final report of the public service management audit team, and while it doesn't call for retrenchment, it does say the public service is being crippled by poor management, a lack of information and the proper flow of information.
The preliminary findings in the twelve-page report reveal that there is a general lack of basic information within the different ministries and their associated departments. The report goes as far as to say that in some departments, district staff only know their minister by photograph and their CEOs by name.
And then the report singles out the Ministry of Finance as one ministry where there are "extra layers and overlapping responsibilities among some sections." The Ministry of Finance is again singled out as duplicating the functions of the Ministry of Works in its involvement with road building contracts.
But the report points out that it is the leadership and management, which is affecting the effectiveness and productivity of the public service. The report speaks of a high incidence of leadership and management styles which "de-motivate staff and hamper productivity and efficiency." No ministries were pointed out but the report did hint to the large amount of contract officers on GOB's payroll---amounting now to a record 1.6% of all staff or 189 contract officers-as having a negative impact on staff morale.
Elsewhere in the report, the Ministry of Education, which publicly brags about having the largest budget, was blasted for spending 95% of its allocation on salaries.
The report wasn't all negative as it pointed to numerous Cases where public officers in the districts go above and beyond the call of duty, using their personal and financial resources to get the job done.
The audit was conducted by Edmund Zuniga, Dr. Carla Barnett, and Diane Locke. GOB employs 11,771 persons, which includes the public services, teachers, police, and the BDF.