Page 2973 - Week 10 - Wednesday, 14 August 2013
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MR BARR: I will come to federal employment in a moment.
Mr Hanson: Where is it? Where is it?
MADAM DEPUTY SPEAKER: Stop the clock, please. Resume your seat, Mr Barr. Mr Hanson, I think you will recall that I asked Mr Barr to allow you to speak in silence before, and Mr Doszpot. I am now asking you to pay the same respect to Mr Barr. He has the floor. You have had your opportunity, and you may also make some remarks in closing the debate. Mr Barr.
MR BARR: This approach from the ACT government, as outlined in paragraph (1)(b) of the amendments I have put forward, stands in marked contrast to what is occurring in other states and territories. Let us have a look: 12,800 jobs gone in Queensland, nurses and teachers amongst them; 10,000 in New South Wales; 4,200 in Victoria; and 1,000 in Western Australia in their most recent budget. This highlights exactly what is going on in other jurisdictions, and it is a very clear contrast between the policy approach of this government and that of the conservative state governments elsewhere in the country.
We are seeking through these amendments to confirm the facts and confirm the Assembly’s commitment to the public service in the ACT. We recognise the important services our public servants deliver and the important roles they undertake day to day for this community, and there is a very clear contrast between this government’s approach and that of other state and territory governments run by Liberal administrations. That is the actual record; they are the actual numbers and the actual decisions that have been taken by state Liberal governments around the country.
At the commonwealth level, the commonwealth government’s State of the Service Report 2011-12 shows 67,631 APS employees were located in the ACT at June 2012, up from 64,676 12 months earlier. So let us put this on the public record for the Leader of the Opposition: an increase of 2,955 employees, or 4.6 percent, over the 12-month period. Let us be clear: the public service in Canberra was 2,955 larger in June 2012 than it was in June 2011.
The Public Service Commission reports that the proportion of APS staff in the ACT increased from 38.9 percent in June 2011 to 40.8 percent in June 2012, continuing, as they say, a steady rise that has been occurring for several years. If you go back and look at the size of the Australian Public Service in 2007 when Kevin Rudd was elected, it was 143,846. In 2012 it was 168,580. So that would appear to be a 25,000 increase or thereabouts, which, presumably, is what Joe Hockey and others have been babbling on about when they say they want to cut jobs in Canberra. They want to slash at least 12,000, and they are on the public record on numerous occasions. Joe Hockey, on ABC News Breakfast on 11 May 2013, when asked how he would pay for all of their election promises, said:
If you want to start with cuts, we have said we will cut 12,000 public servants out of Canberra. That is the starting point.
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