Page 858 - Week 03 - Wednesday, 20 March 2019
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Setting up public services in other capital cities or regional centres makes sense in some circumstances. The Albury Wodonga Development Corporation of course makes perfect sense to be in Albury Wodonga. Government-led job creation in regional centres is important but cannot be the result of forced relocations or decentralisation of current workplaces. That just leaves workers worse off, laid off or less able to do their jobs.
Leaving services in our capital just makes sense. It is a pretty standard practice in the private sector to consolidate staff so that they can share knowledge and services, have quick meetings and develop a corporate community. That is the role Canberra plays for our public service. At present less than 40 per cent of commonwealth staff are employed in the ACT. It is a hub for our Australian public sector community. It is what keeps our public service one of the world’s best and brightest.
The bottom line is that where public servants work should not be up to politicians to decide. Just because Barnaby Joyce is worried about his seat should not mean the government inflicts pain and employment insecurity on a whole government agency. What we have seen with the relocation of the APVMA is a worse outcome all around, as Ms Cheyne’s motion notes.
We have seen worse outcomes for workers, for the agency and for the Australian people as the effectiveness of this important agency is reduced. In short, the whole thing has been a disaster, and now the coalition wants to do this all over again. The federal government’s proposal to move the Murray-Darling Basin Authority to Mildura is perplexing. Of all the agencies it chose to move, this one makes sense only on paper.
In reality the MDBA has been the subject of national disgrace after the release of the recent South Australian Murray-Darling Basin Royal Commission report. One can only wonder whether the government thinks that moving the MDBA is somehow going to help solve the problems of the authority or distract from the actual issues relating to water management. Perhaps their thought is that, like the APVMA move, moving the MDBA will mean most of the staff will quit rather than make their families up and leave their homes and that that will solve the problems of the authority.
In any case, it is yet another proposal from the federal government that seeks to undermine the position of scientists in the ACT. We have seen cuts to the CSIRO, the move of the APVMA to Armidale, and now this. What next? Maybe they will move Questacon to the next marginal seat. Canberra’s economy is diversifying, and this is an important part of securing more jobs for our local community. At the same time, the public service continues to make up a significant portion of the ACT’s jobs market and economy, and it is right that the ACT government advocates for the protection of this important industry.
The Greens recognise the importance of a respected and well-resourced public service to enable good governance and good policy. The APS is made up of dedicated, professional hardworking people who do not deserve the uncertainty and disrespect
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