ACT Greens Senate candidate Lin Hatfield Dodds has welcomed a commitment from Prime Minister Julia Gillard that there will be no cuts to the public service under a Gillard Government. The announcement comes one day after the Greens highlighted this as a major election issue.
“The Greens have always stood up for Canberra” said Ms Hatfield Dodds. “Throughout this campaign, I have been calling on the other parties to stand up for the public service. This is a significant win."
“The Greens, however remain concerned about the impact of the efficiency dividend set out in the May budget, which will increase pressure on APS employees and services.
“However, Gary Humphries and Tony Abbott’s Liberal Party continue to use the public service as a political football. They are still committed to slashing 12,000 public service jobs over two years. Canberra deserves better.
“It took years for Canberra’s economy to recover from the last Liberal Government’s public service job cuts. After cutting 30,000 jobs in 1996, the ACT economy went into recession and thousands struggled to find work again.
“Gary Humphries says he stands up for the public service, but when it comes to the crunch, he is Tony Abbott's man in Canberra. He has to abide by his party’s policies. The evidence to date suggests that his voice is not effective in the Liberal Party room.
“At this election, Canberrans who vote Green are voting for job security.”
Media contact – Simon Copland
0401 638 950 | simon.copland@act.greens.org.au