Andrew Leigh (Fraser, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, Deputy Speaker. In understanding Australia's current context it is critical that we understand the role that public servants play in good policy. When the global financial crisis hit, it was the work of public servants in FaHCSIA, in Treasury, in Finance and in PM&C that put together the rescue package that saved 200,000 jobs and tens of thousands of small businesses. When Queensland was hit by natural disasters, it was public servants who went up there and made sure that people got payments. It was public servants that made sure that rebuilding work was done. But the coalition intends to cut 12,000 public servants. In fact, the shadow Treasurer has said that 12,000 public servants cut out of Canberra is the 'starting point', so it may well be a bigger cut than that.

I mentioned before that the Australian Liberal Party has taken a leaf from the Republican Party's playbook. It is libertarian Ron Paul who wants to cut 10 per cent of US public servants. The coalition say their starting point is seven per cent of Australian public servants. It was US presidential candidate Rick Perry who said he would get rid of three departments. The problem was he could not name them. Those opposite intend to get rid of three departments and at least they can name them—defence materiel, climate change and health—but of course they are just the start.

Those opposite are often called 'deer in headlights', but I think describing them as 'deer in headlights' when they are faced with economic questions is really unfair to deer. I think they are much more like fish out of water. You know that thing you do when the fish comes out of water—you drop it in the bottom of the tinny and it flips and flops and flips and flops around. We had the 2010 budget reply. Remember, that was a great budget reply, when the Leader of the Opposition was going to set out the savings that the coalition would achieve. He passed the buck over to the member for North Sydney who in turn said, 'Oh, no, I am not going to set out the savings. I am passing that to the member for Goldstein,' who then turned up to the National Press Club with a performance so embarrassing that even his own adviser was left at the back of the room shaking his head as the member flipped and flopped around. On the $70 billion black hole, some of those opposite will say: 'We do not know anything about that figure. It is the first we have heard of it.' Others will say, 'Yes, that is our savings target and what a big one to meet'—again, flipping and flopping everywhere.

When the member for North Sydney said that Australian entitlements should be cut, that we should have a Hong Kong-style welfare state, the Leader of the Opposition was again flipping and flopping, saying: 'No, no, no, we do not believe in cutting benefits at all. I worship at the feet of BA Santamaria. I do not believe in cutting benefits—'

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