This is the kind of thing a govt contractor would only commit to writing if they held a rock solid belief that it would never be released under the FOIA (or equivalent.)
In my years clearing NZ OIA info for release I NEVER wld've seen comments like these. Culture change needed.
In my years clearing NZ OIA info for release I NEVER wld've seen comments like these. Culture change needed.
A few more words on the differences between the US federal FOIA-type laws, and the NZ Official Information Act (OIA) and similar.
I'm a NZ citizen who wants to be a US citizen one day. I love America & believe it beats NZ hands down on almost everything that matters. But...
I'm a NZ citizen who wants to be a US citizen one day. I love America & believe it beats NZ hands down on almost everything that matters. But...
That said, the US federal public service culture in the area of FOIA needs a lot of work. Trump has started to turn the juggernaut around, but it will take years... decades, really. Each year the performance improves, though. Here's how it works in NZ:
NZ civil servants & their contractors are trained to expect their documents to be released to the public. The lawful grounds for withholding info are strict. You can withhold commercially sensitive or national security info, for example. But not merely embarrassing info.
If some foolish employee does commit something to writing (incl email, text messages, audio etc) & it seriously "brings the agency into disrepute" or weakens the govt's ability to do its job (eg gather private info) then they're usually fired & might not even get another gov job.
NZ's labor laws are tilted more in the employer's favor than those of the US federal govt. Yes an employee can sue, & can get a decent sized settlement or award but there are many ways a NZ govt agency can remove someone fairly easily. It all helps a culture of public service.
NZ does have a few govt scandals & issues like workplace sexual harassment, (small scale) pay for play corruption, & civil servant laziness... but I am sure if I could wave a wand & let Washington DC experience this culture for a week, it would blow people's minds.
I certainly don't say this to brag about NZ or put down the greatest country in the world (I'm the last person who'd do that.) It's just that the email cited above struck me with such force that I wanted to share what it CAN be like when the environment is different.
US law reform will be needed but culture change is just as important. When civil servants (& contractors) start to fear the consequences of breaking the law or failing to give the public good service, behavior will improve. People might even start wanting to perform better.
I dream of a US federal workforce that performs better, especially in this area of ethics... individuals would be happier, resources better utilized, there'd be amazing breakthroughs & solutions to previously intractable problems, & the best & brightest would WANT to work there.
@threadreaderapp unroll please
