UNION RAISES CONCERNS FOR PUBLIC SECTOR JOBS
THE union representing Toowoomba’s public servants claims there will be significant local job losses if a re-elected Coalition continues with a plan to cut $2.3bn from the public sector.
The Community and Public Sector Union’s Toowoomba representative Renea McCauley said workers had been left concerned by Treasurer Josh Frydenberg’s announcement this week that the current government would slash public service agencies if given a fourth term.
The savings, which underpin Mr Frydenberg’s promised budget repair, would occur by increasing the public sector “efficiency dividend” to two per cent for three years.
The Coalition said this would not lead to significant job losses or impacts on services, but Ms McCauley said the level of cut was too great for that to be possible.
“Those levels of cuts can’t be done without cuts to public servants,” she said.
“Public servants care about their communities because they’re members of their communities.
“It’s going to impact small businesses and will hurt our community.
“The government doesn’t know – they’ve announced this overall cut, but they haven’t actually said this is how much each area is going to (be) cut.”
The Coalition’s Groom candidate Garth Hamilton spent the last days of the campaign promising more funds to regional health training, spruiking a plan for a new hub in southern Queensland to support students intending to practice rurally.