Hi Brian, Do I see the word 'proportion' in there somewhere ;-) If we were talking about full time APS roles you might have a point. But we're talking about contractors here. The efficiency works within the department(s), the equity is directed outward into the community. Anyway, have a good day, Tony. _____ From: austechwriter-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:austechwriter-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Clarke, Brian Sent: Thursday, 18 May 2006 9:54 AM To: austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: atw: Re: Un PC language? and Market Testing Hi Tony, The way in which I have seen the two rubrics contradicting is this: Value for Money aims at getting the best performance for an agreed or pre-arranged sum, a kind of economic or Tayloristic efficiency. Equity, in public service terms, often means giving the job to someone on the Peter principle; by this I mean that the person who gets the job has 'served time', is beyond any further possible upgrading, and the cost of releasing the person and fighting the local union would be out of proportion to the position's value; no account is taken of whether the person has any relevant experience in the technical aspects of the position. In this way, the particular PS department has been seen to be fair to all the automatic lift operators, but the performance will be minimal. All that'll be the same is the pay. So, from the outside, it all appears 'fair'. A kind of social or even Benthamite/Malthusian efficiency that Lenin and Bukharin might have accepted? Brian. **************************************************************************** ** The information contained in this e-mail and any attachment/s may be privileged and confidential and are intended for the recipient designated only. If you have received this e-mail in error, do not use, disseminate, distribute, or copy this e-mail and any attachment/s. However, please notify us either on telephone +612 9684 7777 or the sender via return e-mail and delete all copies of this transmission together with any attachment/s. Mitsubishi Electric Australia Pty. Ltd. has implemented anti-virus software, and whilst all care is taken, it is the recipient's responsibility to ensure that any attachments are scanned for viruses prior to use. **************************************************************************** **