The Department of Industry’s grant fund for women’s entrepreneurship was in the news briefly a couple of years ago when 1800 applicants were told by email that their grants had been approved,only to be told six hours later that they hadn’t.
So you’d think those public servants would be very careful when emailing participants in the program.
But when the department contacted all the past three years’ applicants last week,seeking feedback on the process – which was gutsy,given the history – it happened again.
Anonymity was assured for those taking part,but then someone managed to hit the Cc button instead of the Bcc button,putting everyone’s identities at everyone else’s fingertips.
We’ll let some of the responses,from those affected by the stuff-up,speak for themselves.
“My feedback:this program is a shitshow,” one businesswoman replied.
“This is an absolute clusterf---,” observed another.
“I look forward to your reply all to explain your actions,apologise and explain the damage control you will now put in place,” yet another respondent requested.
But here’s our top-of-the-pops.
“Response to survey;stop cocking up.”
The department,realising its mistake,hastily contacted everyone on the list with sincere apologies.
“This was a mistake on our part and was due to human error,” Industry explained,and added that it would dob itself into someone – it wasn’t clear who – for the “data breach”.
We had a bunch of questions for the Industry Department,as you’d imagine. We’ll let you know when we hear back.
RACING RETURN
Andrew Probyn’s luck has changed since ABC management’s pig-headed decision to make their former political editor and most consistent political news-breaker redundant in June.
Andrew Probyn had a win on Cup dayJohn Shakespeare
The unceremonious dumping left Probyn “gobsmacked”,veteran press gallery journalists outraged,and saw Aunty cop heat from bothAnthony Albanese andPeter Dutton during their customary Midwinter Ball roast. Right in front of some public broadcaster’s top brass,including news directorJustin Stevens.
Hopefully the TikTok traffic – ostensibly where the savings from axing Probyn and 120 other staff would go toward – is worth it!
In better news,Probes has since landed a new gig as national affairs editor at Nine,owner of this masthead.
And on Tuesday,Probyn won $60 in the ABC press gallery bureau’s Melbourne Cup sweep. Now,the sweep is open to the whole gallery – most bureaus tend to have one – but the irony of Probyn taking home the money wasn’t lost on us.
JOB LOT
It’s a big job,runningAnthony Albanese’sDepartment of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and a previously overlooked exchange in last month’s Senate estimates has revealed a little-known but important aspect of the gig;finding something to do with discarded Canberra mandarins.
Defence department chiefGreg Moriarty,under questioning from peacenik Greens senatorDavid Shoebridge,offered an illuminating account of the hunt for useful employment for former Human Services departmental secretaryKathryn Campbellin the weeks before the Albanese government flicked her from the foreign affairs top job.
Moriarty told the committee that new PM&C bossGlynn Davis gave him a shout in June last year,saying that Campbell,who had made much during her career of her high rank in the Army Reserve but was irreparably damaged by her role in the robo-debt scandal,was likely to soon be looking for work and would defence maybe have a spot for her.
In just a couple of weeks – a jiffy in public service time – Moriarty’s people were able to conjure upthat $892,000 job advising on the AUKUS nuclear subs program. No wonder those things are costing so much.
But Moriarty wasn’t loving Shoebridge’s assertion that the job had been “made up” for Campbell.
“I was offered a very senior experienced person,” Moriarty told his interrogator.
“I found an appropriate role for her and a position was established to allow that to happen.”
You say potato…
Then,when Shoebridge asked who had been the head of the AUKUS program since Campbell’s departure in July,the answer was “no one”.
“So the made-up role disappeared when Ms Campbell disappeared?”
The work was “redistributed” among two deputies,Moriarty shot back.
DEPTH CHARGE
We stay for a moment under the sea,where the salaries appear to be sky-high.
CBD’s periscope popped right up after our sonar alerted us to the near 33 per cent pay rise scored last year by the federal government-owned shipbuilder Australian Submarine Corporation’s CEOStuart Whiley.
Submerged deep in the corporation’s latest annual report was the package increase from $827,000 in FY22 to $1.086 million in FY23.
That’s a handy hike for managing the Port Adelaide-based outfit whose greatest hit remains the Collins Class subs,which first took to the water 33 years ago.
When asked what made Whiley a million-dollar man,an ASC spokesperson told us the boss’ pay was set by the Commonwealth’s Remuneration Tribunal.
“The increase last year into takes into account a number of factors including the changing complexity of ASC’s Operations,” she said.
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