Page 1709 - Week 05 - Tuesday, 3 May 2011
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This Budget commences stage two of the Shared Services rationalisation reform program with savings in business processes of around $15.5 million over four years.
This Budget continues our efforts to manage the size of the ACT Public Service. With wages and staffing costs consuming around 47 per cent of the Budget in 2010-11, managing the growth in staff is essential to managing the Budget overall.
Mr Speaker, this Budget introduces a process of reprioritising and redirecting staffing resources to areas of greatest need.
Under this Budget the size of the ACT Public Service continues to grow.
The initiatives in this Budget increase the size of the public service by around 320 full time equivalent staff, with many for frontline services.
However, the Government intends to limit the growth in the public service overall, and will be seeking staffing reductions in the order of 210 full time equivalent staff.
These will be managed through normal staff turnover and targeted redundancies, through voluntary processes.
Mr Speaker, there will be no involuntary redundancies.
We will work with our colleagues in the union movement to ensure that these reductions are managed carefully and appropriately.
Mr Speaker, this Budget provides for $928.5 million in capital initiatives, including plant and equipment and Information and Communications Technology.
General Government borrowings will increase to $650 million. These borrowings will fund the capital investment in the health system and the upgrade to Majura Parkway. The Territory’s balance sheet remains strong.
Restructured Public Service—The ACT Public Service Review
The initiatives in this Budget will be delivered by a streamlined Public Service. Adoption of the ACT Public Service Review’s recommendations and undertaking significant structural changes to the ACT Public Service are required to ensure this occurs. A single structure will facilitate greater integration of services and foster more innovative and holistic approaches.
It will deliver a public service designed to work smarter and deliver more.
A single Public Service will be more flexible, more collaborative and more connected. It will facilitate new approaches to delivering services.
A new Government Office Block will bring together ACT public servants and increase integration of services and effort. Work will commence on the Office Block
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