The key to Key’s new targets will be in the presentation – so let’s give gunge a go

But it shouldn’t be so much fun for chief executives who fail.

Alf’s idea for cutting the numbers of long-term beneficiaries obviously has not been picked up.

The Government will be doing it the hard way, instead, trimming the numbers bit by bit over a long period.

Its decision is reported in the Herald here today –

The Government wants 23,000 fewer long-term beneficiaries on its books by 2017 and the head of Work and Income could lose a bonus if the target is not achieved.

The welfare target is among 10 specific targets the Government has set for the public sector to achieve over five years in policy relating to welfare, vulnerable children, crime, skills and employment, and digital advances.

These targets look suspiciously like a wish list to the hard-working member for Eketahuna North.

But nah…The Boss has to be believed on these matters, and he says they are not a wish-list – “they are a to-do list”.

If you thought there was something sick about the public service, it turns out you probably were right

It looks like our public servants are a bunch of skivers, unless – of course – you are a leftie tosser and maintain they are stressed and overworked.

Take your pick.

Whether or not they are as healthy as workers in the private sector may well be arguable, but they are much more likely to take time off when they are (or they profess to be) sick.

The SST tells us the difference in a report today –

Public servants averaged 7.7 sick days each last year, compared with 5.3 days for workers in the private sector.

These figures apparently come from The National Employers’ wage and salary survey, based on interviews of more than 39,000 employees.

Without a good old-fashioned blood-letting at the Ministry of Health, how will it get better?

But if there are no bits left over, won't the restructuring be a waste of time?

Dunno what exactly is going at the Ministry of Health.

It certainly doesn’t look like a blood-letting.

But the Public Service Association is bleating that “a substantial number of redundancies” may result from the latest restructuring.

According to Radio New Zealand –

Uncertainty surrounds the future of many jobs at the ministry, which is introducing a new policy advice structure in February.

Great Scott! An overdue culling of those pesky policy advisers is on the agenda at last

Alf won’t be losing much sleep over the prospect of a bunch of policy advisers being obliged to find proper jobs.

He has been astounded at the proliferation of this particular species of public servant over the past decade or so.

He regards them as a pest, although Labour and the Greens can be expected to call for them to be protected.

The bill for policy advisers – including outside consultants – is reported to have ballooned from $510 million in 2003 to $880m last year.

A good old-fashioned culling is obviously overdue – and it’s about to happen, according to Stuff.