Friday, October 16, 2009

Qld Health, I've paid my dues . . .

You can feel the fear in Queensland Health, and I certainly can. But you don't have to "Do" anything in particular to be a "Target." Queensland Health (and the public sector in general), targets just because it can. And like any bully, the only thing it responds to is someone standing up to them, and showing them they can be an even bigger b*****d. It doesn't matter how compliant, how good, and/or how quiet staff try to be (to protect themselves), they're still not safe.

I've been for coffee (a couple of times), with Susan Moriarty (solicitor and industrial law specialist), and the impression I have about the systemic corruption, dishonesty and horrifying viciousness within Queensland Health (and the public sector generally), just about makes my hair stand on end. Often, staff think it's their fault, in that if they'd done something differently, or maybe acted in another way, it wouldn't have happened to them - and they're a complete, quivering mess. But they're all just heads of corn, cut down by the same undiscriminating scythe. It's not personal, it's just one extremely vicious and completely dysfunctional system. It's also very scary for people to realise that's the kind of place they exist within, as you generally assume other people will treat you decently if you do the right thing. It's a bit like suddenly realising "Mummy" and "Daddy" are actually complete and utter monsters. In my own case, the unravelling of my "Normal" expectations was a very rocky, and quite eye popping journey - but now, there's no going back, as (to steal the words of Anastacia), I've Paid my Dues . . .

So the point is, my approach doesn't make people less safe, it protects them. The hereto un-touchable emperor is on notice, and just like any creature that thrives in the dark, it can't stand the light of day - and crawls away as fast as it can can from the smallest sliver of sunlight . . .

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