Claire Moore (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

The senator has pointed out that the Australian public do not read budget papers, and I think that is a really important issue to take up, because we need to have some honesty about the focus of the current budget and also what will be put in place. It has been said so many times—and will continue to be said in this place and across the community—that the budget was put in place facing a clear economic process in this country. No-one can deny the issues around the increasing inflation and the threat of further inflation in this country. No-one can deny that. The opposition cannot deny that. They can pretend that everything is rosy, but it is not. The indications are that a budget had to be formulated which took into account the future—and the effective future—of our country. No-one was hiding from that. The Treasurer, when he produced the budget, said that there would be areas of needed response. He made no mistake.

Senator Coonan has focused this debate on the answers relating to Centrelink and CSIRO. I was present at the last Senate estimates when this wonderful figure of Centrelink losses was brought up. I am very sorry at the way it was done, because when we were sitting there asking questions about the future—before the budget was brought down—the CEO of Centrelink, Mr Jeff Whalan, was engaged in a discussion in which issues were raised about what would happen in the future of that agency. There was natural concern that there could be management decisions that would involve some job losses. No-one denied that. In terms of process, what we were looking at for professional public sector organisations was how those organisations in this country would manage the process into the future with the budget that they were allocated. No-one was running from that. There was no denial.

Now that the budget has been brought down, the strength, professional nature and efficiency of the public sector will ensure they work with government and the community to see that the programs they are charged to deliver will be effectively delivered for all Australians. This is not a surprise. Anyone who has worked in the Australian Public Service, as I did for many years—and I still describe myself as an Australian public servant—knows that restructuring changes and working with budgets are a daily challenge for all of us. That is not new.

What we have now is the typical process that happens after a budget when people are trying to maximise their positions. It is quite a worry to me that senior opposition shadow ministers are using scare tactics to cause uncertainty and fear amongst Australian public servants—people who are working for us and for the community. Since the budget, Senator Coonan, in particular around the issues of Centrelink and Human Services, has been in the media throwing out allegations about the job losses that will occur in the public sector. This has not been validated. And the more that exaggerations are made, the more that fear is created, the more difficult it is for the people who are trying to do their jobs effectively—that is, to concentrate on the program expectations to ensure that they know what their jobs are and that they can work effectively into the future.

In relation to the statement made by Minister Ludwig earlier that Mr Whalan has announced his retirement, I want to put on record my personal appreciation and respect for the job that Jeff Whalan has done, not just in Centrelink, which is where I have had the chance to meet with him over the last couple of years, but in a very distinguished Australian Public Service career. Seeing that, I think it is even worse that his name has been used in this place around figures that are not actually correct. I know that senior public servants understand the way this place works. I would hope that we would be able to gather together and acknowledge his service in that process.

It will not be easy for the Australian public sector to work through an efficiency dividend, but we are used to it. We have worked with previous efficiency dividends and we have been able to work effectively with the expectations of the community to provide essential services. That will continue. Program by program, individual public sector agencies will look at their budgets, their work plans and their people and they will work with their people to ensure that the work is achieved in our community. The message for all of us is to respect the work of the APS, to work with them and with their union—my union, the Community and Public Sector Union—to ensure that people are looked after and their work is respected into the future. (Time expired)