Page 2967 - Week 10 - Wednesday, 14 August 2013
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(b) that ACT and Federal Labor and ACT and Federal Greens have cut or plan to cut at least ten thousand public servant jobs; and
(c) that ACT and Federal Labor and ACT and Federal Greens continue to be misleading about the extent of the public service job cuts they have made and plan to make in the future;
(2) calls on the Chief Minister to stop threatening ACT public servants with further job cuts; and
(3) reaffirms its support and respect for the ACT and Federal public service.
It gives me great pleasure to move this motion in the Assembly; it is something that is dear to the hearts of all of us here and has been the subject of much debate in the Legislative Assembly.
What I would like to talk about today is the importance of both the ACT public sector and the federal public sector to our economy. We on this side view the public sector as integral to the stability and growth of the Canberra economy. This is not to say that we do not want to see growth in the private sector. I note that today the chamber of commerce had a forum about the pressures that they are experiencing. We have had much to say, and I commend Mr Smyth, particularly, for his advocacy for the private sector and I also commend Mr Wall, as the shadow minister for small business, for his recent work there.
But there is no doubt that a strong and vibrant public sector is best for the long-term interests of Canberra. It is at the core of our economy. There has been much said in this place, and there has been much said in the media. It has been the subject of motions, including motions moved by Dr Bourke. We had amendments moved by Mr Rattenbury. We have had various speeches made by Mr Barr and Ms Gallagher.
What I want to do is put on the record the truth about what is happening as opposed to the smear and fear that we have seen from those on the other side, in particular the Labor Party, but most notably the Greens, who seem to take a position on any particular issue whichever way it suits them politically. The truth is that jobs have been cut in their thousands, jobs are being cut right now in the public sector, and the plan is for many more thousands of jobs to be cut. And they are just the ones we know about, noting that no doubt there are plenty more down the track.
When you add all that up—what has been cut, what is currently being cut and what is planned to be cut—it is about 10,000 jobs. Under the Rudd-Gillard-Rudd governments, supported by their mates the Greens every step of the way, we have seen or are seeing about 10,000 jobs cut. What has been evident is that our local federal members and members here in the Legislative Assembly, be it Mr Rattenbury, Mr Barr, Ms Gallagher or others, simply have not been up-front and honest when they have been talking about the Labor Party’s cuts.
The reason for it, and the reason for those cuts that have been made by the Labor Party, supported by their mates the Greens, is evident. It is the train wreck of the
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