Yvette D'Ath (Petrie, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to raise serious concerns on behalf of the Queensland community and, specifically, my electorate of Petrie, about Campbell Newman's first state government budget. Despite the fact that Mr Newman sought election from the people of Queensland on the premise that he would create jobs, we have only heard about cuts, cuts and more cuts since he took the helm. Mr Newman said the public service had nothing to fear by electing him, but the Queensland state budget, brought down last week, confirmed the sacking of 14,000 workers. That means up to 14,000 families in Queensland are now wondering where their next pay cheque will come from. Of the 14,000 Queensland jobs slashed, over 4,000 are in Queensland Health, up from the 2,700 the health minister told us about.

The Newman government promised to save frontline jobs. Instead, he has changed the definition of frontline and slashed them anyway. And he has been telling the federal opposition leader all about it: all about sacking nurses, dismantling BreastScreen Queensland, slashing pathology services, scrapping the Tuberculosis Treatment Centre, cutting employment programs, closing TAFEs and cancelling teacher contracts. These are just a few examples of the cruel cuts ripping the heart out of our communities across Queensland. Community groups in my electorate alone tell me they have lost 50 to 70 per cent of their overall funding, and some organisations are not sure how long they can keep their doors open. That comes as no surprise when you start to itemise Campbell Newman's community group cuts: $368 million ripped out of grants to community services; $287million slashed from Skilling Queenslanders for Work; $60 million gone from local government grants; $50million less for local sports programs; and $20 million cut from the arts. This is just the start.

Campbell Newman is sacking the rural fire brigade. Even his minister felt bad about it. The Premier says Queensland can no longer afford to give a pair of cheap, clean pyjamas to an elderly person all alone in the world, but he can build himself a fancy new office precinct in the city. And now we hear that he is axing the Queensland Reconstruction Authority, the team established to coordinate and fast track the rebuilding of our state after the devastating 2011 floods and Cyclone Yasi. In the summer of 2010-11 Queensland survived the worst natural disasters in our state's history, and now he wants to take away the crew who had been put in place to rebuild.

He said he could not find $20 million to launch the NDIS site. I say to Campbell Newman, here is an idea, here is something Campbell Newman can do: instead of sacking public servants and spending $800 million in doing that, he should reallocate some of the money and save jobs and fund the launch of an NDIS site in Queensland. That is good value for money, Campbell Newman.

We have heard from the Leader of the Opposition, and Senator Barnaby Joyce, that they support these initiatives 100 per cent. From the member for Longman we have heard the mantra of hope, reward and opportunity, but I am starting to believe that when it comes to the LNP hope, reward and opportunity are something that only a select few deserve.

We need to make sure that we retain our nurses, doctors and teachers. I want to know from the state government how many teachers in my local schools will have their contracts cancelled at the end of this year? Will they be shutting the TAFEs in the electorate of Petrie.

What we have seen unfold in Queensland is just a taste of what the rest of the country could expect under an Abbott Liberal government. On behalf of my community I want answers.

House adjourned at 22:30