Net porn = no pay for public servants: Premier

NSW Premier Bob Carr has said public servants will be suspended without pay if caught accessing online porn at work, following revelations that four officers from the Department of Community Services have been on full pay for 18 months whilst such conduct was investigated.

One of the four staff members has recently been dismissed for his involvement in the transmission of pornographic material using the Department of Community Services (DOCS) internal e-mail system, according to Carr.

In a transcript of a press conference obtained by ZDNet Australia, Carr said: -I'll today sign a Pemier's Memorandum giving all CEOs in the public service the capacity to suspend without pay any employee suspected of downloading, transmitting, or handling pornography in the workplace."

Carr also said that procedures under the Public Sector Management Act would be disciplined so this conduct of this kind is dealt in future more quickly.

"What seems clear is at the present time the union can refuse to respond to inquiries the CEO gives it and strings them out. I believe this is entirely unsatisfactory," Carr said.

-The warning to public servants is that you are being paid by the public to do your job. And if you're detected handling, transmitting, downloading pornography in the workplace, then it's out. And it's out fast. And it's without having the capacity to string things out while you are on full pay.

Carr said the use of work facilities to download pornographic material highlights the problem of supervision. -They should not have time in their days to be doing this. And I'm going to fix it up."

The Communications and Sector Union has been contacted for comment.

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Talkback 2 comments

    If an employee was caught p**** ...Anonymous -- 04/03/02

    If an employee was caught passing a Playboy or similar magazine to a fellow emplyee during a lunch break, would summary dismissal result?

    And I presume that the employee is allowed to pass other matierial via e-mail; seems that Bob thinks passing porn takes too much time. If that is the issue, why doesn't sending any non-work material result in termination of employment?

    How the hell can it take 18 mo ...Anonymous -- 05/03/02

    How the hell can it take 18 months to investigate?? Typical government behaviour.

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