A former bureaucrat has called for better treatment of whistleblowers and complainants. 

Steve Davies worked for more than three decades in the public sector, but says he is concerned that the APS still does not deal with criticisms within its ranks properly. 

He says institutions pursue individuals for speaking out.

“Encouraging people to have these conversations is a decent and sensible thing to do,” Mr Davies has told reporters. 

“Too often people soldier on and suffer in silence at work. They may share their pain with close friends. They certainly share their pain with their family.

“Within APS agencies, most straightforward issues and problems are generally handled well. That is to say they can be addressed via well-established processes. To varying degrees, this is done with kindness and empathy.”

He says departments and agencies have become morally disengaged and treats people who raise concerns as troublemakers.

He pointed to recent examples of this conduct in the issues surrounding Robodebt and the court cases involving David McBride and Richard Boyle.

“The result of this treatment of whistleblowers and complainants? Staff learn to shut up,” he said. 

“The wider impact of this fully funded abusive system of silence? The normalisation of moral disengagement in the Australian government and its public service.”

“The conversation public servants need to have on RU OK? Day is ‘what are you going to do to rid the APS of moral disengagement and make government okay for your colleagues and the public they are meant to serve?’”