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Budget warning: Govt bill cuts public sector security, paves way for more cuts

The Public Service Association fears another round of deep public sector job cuts will be announced in tomorrow’s budget as the O’Farrell Government prepares to slash public sector employment and rights with a Bill before Parliament.

It said the State government appeared to have no plan for better public services or managing the fall-out of its public sector job cuts. The Government did not appear to know where the job cuts already announced were going to come from or how they will impact.

Public sector workers gathered outside NSW Parliament House today to voice their opposition to the Government Sector Employment Bill.The union presented a 12,000-signature petition to NSW MPs including State Opposition Leader John Robertson, Hon Fred Nile, Hon Adam Searle and Hon David Shoebridge outlining concerns that the Bill will remove job security and undermine the independence of public servants.

“We are hearing from our members in government departments that more job cuts will be announced in tomorrow’s budget,” said ɫ������General Secretary Anne Gardiner.

“Meanwhile the O’Farrell Government has been busy trying to strip essential protections for public servants.

“The Government Sector Employment Bill would make it easier to sack people and contract out work while making it harder for public servants to stand up for community interests and give independent advice.

“A casualised and diminished public service, without transparency or job security, cannot deliver the public services and policy that NSW needs.

“These cuts are going to have long-term consequences on communities and local economies, particularly in regional NSW where the impact of job losses is often felt most.”

The 15,000 job cuts already announced by the O’Farrell Government in its last two budgets are still playing out, hitting jobs and local economies in uncertain economic times, said Ms Gardiner.

“The community will be holding every government MP to account for job cuts in their electorates.”