Welcome to that time of the century when what finished up as PS-sssst! in 2018 has been resurrected in 2019 for another carnival of PS-ssssty! fun, games and just plain embarrassment unravelled from the darkest corners of Australia’s public services.
Just as most readers have enjoyed time out of the working harness, so too has PS News, returning with our saddles settled, stirrups stirred up and praying for reins as we head headlong into another year of PS publishing, promising as we do every year to break every news story about the public sector that’s fit to be broken.
Like most readers, the PS News team enjoyed its time off regrouping, recouping and renewing our energy levels to return to the grindstone keener and sharper than ever, ready to re-enter the chase we lovingly call the Public Service.
And as our first bold step into the New Year, it is our pleasure to open our 2019 account by wishing every one of our army of PS Newsophiles a hearty, happy and harmonious New Year.
Hear hear!
Sweet sorrows
Fun response to the poser posed in 2018’s final PS-sssst! of the year, raising the sorrowful question: “What is the plural of ‘sorry’?” following an article writer’s attempt to dress up ‘sorrys’ in a piece about women saying sorry too often.
For Peter M of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, the writer’s use of ‘sorrys’ was evidence she flunked primary school.
“There is no such ******** word!!” Peter contended colourfully.
“There is a perfectly good word that could have been used and that is ‘apologies’.”
Craig L of Victoria’s Department of Justice and Regulation flexed his muscles to pluralise a swag of sorry synonyms to make his point, declaring:
“It is with much regret that I must contritely apologise for the deplorably sorrowful manner in which I shall remorsefully use this wretched electronic medium to, as repentant as I am about this missive, sadly indicate that the article’s author was unfortunately incorrect.
“That’s a lot of Sorries,” he concluded firmly.
And for Kathryn H of NSW’s Liverpool City Council, the question even has the internet entwined.
“My spell check is having a hissy-fit at ‘sorries’ and wants to change it to ‘sorties’,” Kathryn reported, “and with ‘sorrys’ it wants to change it to ‘surreys’!!!!”
“Does that mean neither word exists?” she pondered.
Well done to all. Fabulous PS News book prizes all round.
Innovation out!
To Canberra’s local Government now where a grants program has been launched to encourage local whizz-kids to start up new businesses based on innovation, imagination and entrepreneurialism.
“The Canberra Innovation Network in partnership with the ACT Government will deliver the Innovation Connect (ICON) Grant program ….” the blurb for the initiative proclaims.
Pardon PS-sssst!’s perpetual, pitiless and persistent pedantry but wouldn’t a program named Innovation Connect Grant be more accurately abbreviated ‘ICG’ than awkwardly christened ‘ICON’ which picks up one letter from one word, three from another and ignores the third entirely?
Perhaps PS-sssst! has missed the innovation bus!
We wish the grants program every success however.
Later than usual news
It’s not often a major media outlet such as PS News reveals its darkest secrets of mediadom but as PS-sssst! is nothing if not blatantly transparent, the time has come for us to reveal all.
As part of its many valuable services to the community, the Federal Government (through its Digital Transformation Agency) publishes a very handy website coralling in one place all the official statements and media releases Departments and Agencies promulgate as evidence of the excellent work they do on behalf of the communities they serve.
That handy website can be accessed at media.australia.gov.au/mediaRelease and is often visited by news-hungry journalists and others keen to be first with the latest.
Topping the list this week is an intriguing report on a tree replacement program along the road to Government House in Canberra issued by the National Capital Authority.
“Many of the trees are dead or dying,” the NCA says in its release, “(and) will be removed in two stages.”
“The first stage was undertaken in April 2013 with the second stage scheduled for 2015/16.”
The Authority expects the program to be completed in 2017.
Remember where you heard it first!
Book dusted off
And finally, the few weeks away allowed PS-sssst! the rare opportunity to catch up on the rare luxury of reading someone else’s work than the usual eyeball fare of continually proofreading our own.
A book we can heartily recommend for a public sector audience is former diplomat Fred Smith’s The Dust of Uruzgan which has everything a seasoned public servant could possibly want in a stirring novel.
Well-written and informative, Smith takes us with him to a multitude of meetings, international postings, interdepartmental programs and the tension that accompanies Ministerial visits overseas.
It’s the perfect book for the many PS staffers who know they need a holiday but don’t feel too comfortable too far away from the desk.
The 416-page book is published by Allen & Unwin.
Till next week.……
