Page 3697 - Week 08 - Thursday, 19 August 2010
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levels for 2010-11 see an increase of 10,487 to 258,704. So, yes, while some agencies have seen a reduction in their staffing levels, other agencies have seen an increase, as you would anticipate with changing priorities in the context of a new federal government and a new policy agenda in a number of areas. That is not surprising; it is as you would expect it to be.
One would anticipate that, with future new policy initiatives and perhaps less of a need for investment in public sector employment in other areas, we will continue to see changes. But what we would need to look at, and look at to take a long run view, is the overall level of employment in the public sector. It is again not surprising that, as the population of this country grows, as the range of services that are being provided by the commonwealth government grows, you would anticipate there to be a modest level of growth in the public service in the months and years ahead.
This is except, of course, if Tony Abbott is elected on the weekend. It is entirely legitimate for the federal Liberal Party to indicate a position in relation to cutting public service numbers, but what is a problem for the Canberra Liberals is their incapacity to walk away from the position of their federal colleagues. I understand the difficulty that they face, but in the end they are probably better off just being honest and saying, “Look, yes, we are the neoclassical economics party; we are the party that does not believe in the public sector, that does not believe in any public provision of services or that we are the low tax party.” They could say that and people would probably have more respect for them than for the positions that they have been adopting, with the contortions that we have seen over the last few weeks.
This makes it very hard for Senator Humphries, we know. Every time the coalition is in a little bit of difficulty trying to find money for another one of those vague, uncosted policies that Mr Abbott has been announcing on a day by day basis through the campaign, where do they reach for to try and get the money? They rip it out of the Australian Capital Territory. Why do they do that? Because in the end they do not particularly value Senator Humphries that much and they do not particularly value their lower house candidates in Canberra and Fraser. There is no particular surprise there. We know what the federal Liberal Party think of Canberra. We know what Tony Abbott thinks of Canberra.
In that context the people of the Australian Capital Territory, when they vote on the weekend, will know exactly where the Liberal Party stand at a federal level and also at a local level. That is very challenging for the Canberra Liberals. But at least in hearing from Mr Doszpot this afternoon we have finally stripped away all of the facades—we have got neoclassical action man, Steve Doszpot. He has risen from the backbench to say that, no, he is the economic champion of the Canberra Liberals; he is the one who is the low tax, no government spending action man—and that, Madam Deputy Speaker, has been the highlight of this afternoon’s debate. (Time expired.)
MADAM DEPUTY SPEAKER: The discussion has concluded.
Adjournment
Motion by Mr Barr proposed:
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