Rudolph Brown/Chief Photographer
Senator Trevor MacMillan

Opposition Senator Colonel Trevor MacMillan, pointing to current practices in governance that fuel political tribalism, has made a number of recommendations that would help to address this problem.

The Opposition Senator, in his maiden contribution to the State of the Nation Debate in the Senate yesterday, pressed for changes in the appointment of public sector boards.

He said the current method of appointing persons as board members in the public sector encouraged tribalism.

According to Colonel MacMillan many public sector boards comprised persons who were aggressive in their support of the current administration.

However, he said that this did not suggest that some persons appointed were not honourable with high levels of competency.

Senator MacMillan proposed that the Leader of the Opposition be formally invited to recommend at least two persons for appointment to these boards.

"This will, in my opinion, make the activities of the bodies more transparent and improve the trust and confidence in these bodies," he said.

Calling for the composition of the National Housing Ttrust (NHT) board to be widened, Senator MacMillan also wants staff of the housing agency to hand out keys to beneficiaries and not politicians. This, he said, would remove the impression that politicians provide houses for NHT clients.