Dumb tweet taxes one job, prompts call for forethought
The resignation of a Tax Office worker is a reminder that all public servants should consider their positions when posting on social media, Employment Minister Eric Abetz says.
Senator Abetz says that the decision of Australian Tax Office employee Darryl Adams to fall on his sword after posting offensive and misogynistic material on his “Fake Paul Keating” Twitter account shows government workers should think twice.
Abetz says even with the veil of anonymity the internet can provide, staff should expect when they post anything online that their identity and employment will be found out.
The Employment Minister has issued a series of guidelines for the future, which aim to protect the public’s opinion of government and their staff, the ability to work impartially and the perception of professionalism within the sector.
Tax Office worker Darryl Adams chose to switch careers, after he described the anti-pornography campaigner Melinda Tankard-Reist as “rootable in that religious feminist way”.
“Australian Public Service employees must still uphold the APS Values and Code of Conduct even when material is posted anonymously, or using a pseudonym,” the guidelines say.
“As a rule of thumb, irrespective of the forum, anyone who posts material online should make an assumption that at some point their identity and the nature of their employment will be revealed,” the new directive states.