Page 5887 - Week 14 - Wednesday, 7 December 2011
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For a start, 12,000 public servants in Canberra will be made redundant over a two year period immediately upon us being elected.
I understand that since that time he has again reiterated that at least 12,000 jobs will go.
On 29 November, in announcing his proposed saving plan, the Treasurer, Wayne Swan, contemplated the possibility of job cuts. The unions have estimated that it could be up to 3,000 jobs. We have heard from the head of the CPSU, Nadine Flood, that their estimate is up to 3,000 jobs.
It is, of course, very difficult to predict exactly how agencies will respond to the efficiency dividends and achieve the required cuts, but it does appear that cuts in some areas will be significant. I reiterate the Greens’ concerns that whilst efficiency dividends do have a place in ensuring efficiency in public sector activity, they are a very blunt instrument and there are far better alternatives to achieving the required savings.
I move:
Omit all words after “That this Assembly”, substitute:
(1) notes:
(a) both the Federal Labor and Federal Liberal parties have committed to policies that will result in public service job losses in the ACT;
(b) the Federal Liberal Party have committed to at least 12 000 public sector job losses;
(c) the extent of job losses under the Federal Labor Party’s plan, whilst significant, remains unclear; and
(d) the Federal Greens have proposed a series of alternatives that would prevent the need for public service job cuts; and
(2) calls on both the Chief Minister and the Leader of the Opposition to again write to their respective Federal colleagues advocating against public sector job cuts.”.
As I was saying, there are other options and much better ways of achieving the required savings and delivering better outcomes for the community as a whole at the same time. On 29 November this year my federal colleagues, through Senator Bob Brown, put out a media release on this issue. It was titled “Think longer term: look at revenue for the public purse and ditch short-term cuts”. It said:
The Australian Greens today released official Treasury costings obtained under formal arrangements as part of the agreement to form government. The costings show that abolishing a range of fossil fuel subsidies would help to re-balance the budget.
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