Jill Hall (Shortland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

The public servants throughout our country deliver services to the Australian people. They are the best and brightest minds in this country. And those on the other side of this House do not value them in any shape or form.

In New South Wales in recent times, we have really learnt just what the Liberal Party thinks of public servants and public services. In New South Wales, Barry O'Farrell has cut $1.7 billion out of education. The member for Farrer spoke about the fine economic credentials of the Liberal Party throughout the country. What has come to the attention of the people of New South Wales is that the O'Farrell government made a mathematical error: instead of having a budget deficit they have a billion-dollar surplus. Regardless of this fact, they are still going to slash those jobs in education. And who does that affect? That affects the children. That affects this country. That affects our economic prosperity. If we do not have an educated workforce, if we do not have public servants, if we do not have teachers to deliver that education in our public system, then what we have is a second-class country. And that is what the Liberal Party has been demonstrating, in both this federal parliament and the states of New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia, they believe in. We have only to look at the statement of the shadow Treasurer in which he said that a Liberal-National Party government would slash 12,000 federal Public Service jobs to know that is what the opposition stand for. That is what the Liberal-National Party stand for. They stand for cutting jobs in the Public Service.

Along with that, they are cutting services to the Australian people. They should stand condemned for what has been happening in the states throughout Australia. In New South Wales and Queensland, I have heard—I am much more familiar with New South Wales—they are not only cutting jobs but attempting to strip leave loading for public servants, penalty rates for shift workers and the allowances of workers in remote areas. This will leave many thousands of workers worse off. But those on the other side of this parliament do not care about the fact that these are people who have families and who have financial obligations that they have to meet. All they care about are cuts, cuts, cuts. Along with cuts, cuts, cuts from the Public Service, there are cuts, cuts, cuts to services for the Australian people.

In New South Wales they have not just stopped with cutting jobs in the public service; they are also cutting workers compensation entitlements. They are ripping away workers' entitlements to workers compensation. The O'Farrell government is taking away the rights of people who are injured at work to any compensation or any support whilst they are injured.

If you look at the Liberal Party, what do you see? You see a party that does not value workers, does not value the public sector and does not believe in delivering public services. You have a party that is all about one thing. It is all about the big end of town and, at the same time, ignoring the needs of the people of Australia and devaluing the services that are provided through the public sector. Particularly in New South Wales they stand condemned for their cuts to education— (Time expired)

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