Page 4027 - Week 14 - Tuesday, 22 October 1991
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I said:
Yes. You would be aware that there has been significant administrative changes throughout this area following - particularly, the Callaghan report - that indicated that perhaps some of the ways paper had been kept in the past were less than satisfactory. There has been significant administrative improvements and reform in this area over the last 18 months or so and efficiencies have been achieved across the board.
So, we start off with their additional functions. Mr Jensen says, "Do you need additional staff?". I have not listened to the tape of this, but I think that, because I said, "Do you want a geographic breakdown of them, Mr Jensen?", that was flippant. Mr Jensen and I had had a number of exchanges about the names, numbers, hair colours and addresses of staff savings.
He went on again to refer to the new places being established and whether there was a need for more staff for this new function. I kept saying "no, no" or "yes", but coming back to say that there will be administrative savings and we do not need new staff. If that has been taken to be an answer that there will never, ever be a reduction in staff in this area - if they take it to read that - I believe that they are fundamentally wrong; but, if they take it to the extent that they read my answer that way, I apologise for my answer.
But, given the consistent statements throughout the Estimates Committee, and we pursued it with some vigour - indeed, considerable vigour - and some acrimony at times, I consistently gave the same answer about where staff savings would occur. That answer was: "There is not a list; we have not made the final decision; we are going through a process of consultation".
The Opposition attack - to the extent that there was a coordinated Opposition attack - seemed to be that the Labor Government should have compiled a list of 250 positions and have had them cemented in concrete before a budget decision was announced. Our answer, and it was my answer repeatedly throughout the questioning - it was Ms Follett's answer; it was Mr Berry's answer; it was Mr Wood's answer - was, "The Government has made a budgetary decision; it is going through the process of consultation with the unions: and positions for savings will be identified".
We get, on page 751, questioning along these lines: "There has been an additional function created; there are 80 new places; do you not need additional staff?". That is a good question to ask in the context of an Estimates Committee that is looking for savings. They see that there is an additional function; they are concerned that there is going to be additional demand on resources, and my answer is: "No, there will not be any additional demand on resources".
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