Page 847 - Week 03 - Wednesday, 20 March 2019

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(c) supporting our local workforce through a pipeline of major infrastructure projects, including the light rail network and the University of Canberra Hospital;

(d) relocating more than 1 000 ACT public servants to Woden to co-locate Health Directorate and Access Canberra staff, creating a more efficient and streamlined ACT public service and enlivening the town centre, including surrounding businesses;

(e) ensuring the ACT public service is further spread across multiple local centres, including Gungahlin and Belconnen and, in the near future, Dickson, to the benefit of multiple communities;

(f) diversifying Canberra’s economy by supporting innovation and entrepreneurialism to create more private sector jobs and bring new opportunities to the ACT;

(g) encouraging investment and opening doors for international trade and tourism; and

(h) fiercely advocating for the protection of public sector jobs in the ACT;

(3) further notes the Commonwealth Government’s commitment to move more jobs out of Canberra every year, as demonstrated by:

(a) Canberra losing more than 6 700 Federal public service jobs since the Coalition government took office in 2013, as of mid-2017;

(b) Central Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane attracting more Federal public service jobs than regional areas between 2013 and 2017, with:

(i) Inner Sydney gaining 2 000 public servants;

(ii) Inner Melbourne gaining 850 public servants; and

(iii) Inner Brisbane gaining 1 260 public servants;

(d) the shambolic forced move of the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority to Armidale which resulted in the resignation of the agency’s chief executive and at least 20 scientists;

(e) the Commonwealth Government’s decision to relocate the Australian Space Agency to Adelaide despite Canberra being the initial home of the Agency and natural home of the space industry with nearly one in four Australian space industry jobs being based in Canberra; and

(f) a new misguided plan to move 76 of the Murray Darling Basin Authority’s staff to regional towns including Griffith, Mildura and Murray Bridge despite:

(i) Canberra serving as a neutral location for the authority to ensure the river system is managed in the interests of all Australians; and

(ii) the grave issues raised in the South Australian Murray-Darling Basin Royal Commission Report regarding the negligence and maladministration from the Murray-Darling Basin Authority;

(4) further notes:

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