Zaharoula Karzis-Wyatt

I have been a member of the APS for almost 20 years, when I started the majority of staff were permanent, they received extensive training, were fully versed in the role they played within the community and the concept of being a servant of the public was at the forefront of all training, staff development and the ethos of the APS.
Over the last decade it is has been disappointing to see the APS being used as the governments 'punching bag'. The professionalism of the APS has been attacked, there are more casual or contract staff being employed with minimal training being provided, ASL levels affect the level of service that can be provided to the community, the government doesn't tend to prioritise a quick, accurate service in the current APS . One of the biggest APS organisations DHS has been constantly attacked, staff numbers cut, services to the community decreased and the training being provided reduced. Greater numbers of contract staff are being employed and the services they provide reduced. Response times to the community have increased and reducing this does not seem to be a priority regardless of the rhetoric. The Government constantly talks about cost cutting without looking at the ongoing flow on of cuts to services to the community; the rising levels of aggression from the community to staff as the community does not receive the services they require from the APS because there are not enough staff to provide the service needed. Twenty years ago when I started in the APS we were in partnership with the government of the day, whoever held the power, now it is as if we are under attack from the government and viewed by them as an adversarial entity. When the Government of the day is your employer this is a difficult relationship to be in. As a long serving and dedicated member of the APS it would be good to be able to develop a healthy relationship with the government of the day, to be treated as a valuable employee and to have the work I do valued the way I value the community I and others in the APS serve.