‘Get back to work’: backlash over bureaucrat job freeze
The opposition’s plan to halt the recruitment of bureaucrats for a decade has drawn the line at war ahead of high-stakes state elections.
Opposition Leader and shadow treasurer Jess Wilson has announced a 10-year civil service recruitment freeze in her first significant response to Tuesday’s Victorian budget.
As part of the November state election, Victoria’s public service would be cut by 7,184 full-time equivalent staff in the first two-and-a-half years of the coalition government.
The freeze will target back-office roles across 46 Victorian government departments and agencies, with savings expected to be $22 billion over 10 years.
Ms Wilson said reduced staffing would be achieved through natural attrition and there would be no cuts to police, nurses, teachers, healthcare workers, firefighters and other essential services.
“No one will be dismissed,” Ms. Wilson said in her speech.
“That’s why I’m telling our friends out there to get back to work.”
Community and Public Sector Alliance members gathered outside the Liberals’ Melbourne event on Friday afternoon to protest the policy.
“Good luck getting rid of us,” said Jiselle Hanna, secretary of the union’s state branch.
Victoria’s education union also condemned the plan as the state’s Labor Party launched an attack ad claiming it would lead to more than $40 billion in cuts and put one in seven public servants out of work.
“You can’t cut this hard and deep without affecting our schools and hospitals,” Prime Minister Jacinta Allan said.
in response silver reviewFinance Minister Jaclyn Symes has pledged to cut more than 1,000 public service jobs and merge or eliminate 29 utilities and boards to save more than $4 billion over the next four years.
But budget documents show employee expenses are expected to rise from $41.1 billion this financial year to $45.5 billion in 2029/30.
Asked how the Liberals would meet their savings target if the expected six per cent natural reduction does not occur, Ms Wilson described it as “hypothetical”.
The state Liberal leader made his speech in front of a live counter showing Victoria’s net debt, its daily interest bill and how much it could pay for nurses, police and teachers.
Victoria is on track to accrue $199.3 billion in net debt by mid-2030, with interest repayments rising to more than $32 million a day.
The Treasury predicts a cash deficit of more than $30 billion in four years, when spending on infrastructure projects is taken into account.
Ms Wilson has pledged to deliver a cash surplus by 2032, among other new commitments to phase out the payroll tax threshold for businesses and the land tax threshold for property investors.
“My team and I would love to do more and do it sooner, but I have to be honest with Victorians, none of this is going to be easy,” he said.
Australia’s Associated Press is the beating heart of Australian news. AAP is Australia’s only independent national news channel and has been providing accurate, reliable and fast-paced news content to the media industry, government and corporate sector for 85 years. We inform Australia.
