Page 1565 - Week 06 - Wednesday, 12 August 1992
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reduction made last year. I believe that they have missed the point in general. It was a budget reduction that was not aimed at cutting the public service per se. We know that Mr Kaine has had that aim from time to time. It was not our aim. Our aim was in fact to reduce the budget by that amount.
To answer Mr Kaine's question more fully, I would like to go further and say that the aim of that decision was not to achieve a particular number of redundancies. Rather, in meeting that salaries expenditure reduction, voluntary redundancies represent only one means by which agencies could set about the task. Agencies were required, of course, to meet their budgets, their 1991-92 appropriations, whether that resulted from salary reductions or from other budget related measures. Madam Speaker, I would expect good managers to carefully manage staffing and other resources in order to meet their budget. Agencies have indeed quite properly used a range of options to achieve their reduced budgets, including some ongoing restructuring programs, some measured recruitment activity and offsetting savings in non-salary expenditure.
During 1991-92 surplus positions were identified in all agencies and at all levels of classification. As a result of this identification process, at 30 June of this year 311 staff had been or were being considered for alternative placement or for voluntary redundancy. This figure relates to a number of restructuring proposals, including the $6m reduction in salary; but it excludes the Department of Health, which was subject to a separate work force restructuring program.
Madam Speaker, I have here a document, which I will table, that gives the details of 1991-92 figures by agency. I think that will be helpful to members. But just to summarise the contents of that document: 72 staff have been permanently placed, 25 are still seeking placement and 203 have been or are being considered for voluntary redundancy. There are 11 positions still subject to further negotiations with the unions. Madam Speaker, of the 203 staff who have been or are being considered for voluntary redundancy, 154 ceased duty before 30 June 1992. Of the remaining 49 staff, I expect that the majority of those carried over, in Mr Kaine's terms, into the 1992-93 financial year will in fact cease duty between now and about the end of September.
I will table the document which shows the position agency by agency, and I trust that that will be helpful to Mr Kaine. I table the following paper:
Staff redundancies - ACT Government - Table showing agencies and number of filled surplus positions.
MR KAINE: I ask a supplementary question. The Chief Minister accuses me of being obsessed with staff numbers. I remind her that she was the one who put the figure of 250 on it, not me. But since she has chosen to evade the question and she wants to talk about money, I will be more specific in my supplementary question. Did the Government achieve the $6m reduction in their budget that she said was her objective at the beginning of the year and, if not, by how much did she fall short?
MS FOLLETT: And I reiterate what I said at the very outset of my answer, Madam Speaker - that next week I will be presenting, on a program by program basis, the detail which I believe Mr Kaine seeks.
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