Steven Kennedy calls for protection of bureaucrats from social media abuse

Steven Kennedy, Secretary of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, has urged politicians to help protect public servants from online hostility. Appearing before Senate Estimates, Kennedy stated that misleadingly edited social media posts of bureaucrats providing parliamentary evidence can “invite ridicule, hostility or abuse directed at individual public servants.”

Kennedy noted that female public servants and those from First Nations backgrounds frequently experience the most severe forms of abuse. While not advocating for the censorship of videos, he requested that Members of Parliament and senators engage courteously and remove “vile abuse” from the commentary on their posts.

This request follows recent complaints from senior officials, including Defence Department Deputy Secretary Celia Perkins, regarding the use of parliamentary committee appearances on social media. Officials have expressed that they do not consent to their evidence or likenesses being reproduced for purposes outside the parliamentary framework.