Alicia Payne (Canberra, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Like my friend the member for Bean, I am incredibly proud to represent so many members of the Australian Public Service who live in my electorate. I'm proud to have been one of them and have worked with some of the most dedicated and professional people you will ever meet—people who come into work every day to serve the national interest, keeping Australians safe, delivering the services they need and developing and implementing the policies and programs that impact the lives of every Australian.

Our city is home to 68,000 public servants, and Peter Dutton wants to cut 36,000 of them. Unlike the rest of the cuts he's planning, this one is no secret. They're really proud of this one and they're singing it from the rooftops. I even heard one of the members opposite yesterday interjecting that the first people they are coming for are the 36,000 Canberra public servants. Why? Because, like everything the Leader of the Opposition does, it's about politics rather than substance and it has no regard for the impact on the Australian people.

This is good old Canberra bashing at its absolute finest and a cheap shot with very serious consequences, not just for the 36,000 workers in my city but for the Australians all over the country who rely on the services they deliver and the good governance of this country. But let's focus on that for a moment: people in my city, their livelihoods, their families, the small businesses that rely on them and all the jobs in my city that will be affected. We will stand against these cuts because the Australian Public Service is important to all Australians.

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