House of Assembly Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1) 52 1 Parliament of South Australia House of Assembly published Question Time Public Service Cuts PUBLIC SERVICE CUTS The Hon. I.F. EVANS House of Assembly Davenport PUBLIC SERVICE CUTS The Hon. I.F. EVANS (Davenport) (15:04): My question is to the Minister for Emergency Services and Minister for Police. Does the minister agree with Treasurer Snelling's comments last week that former treasurer Foley made a mistake regarding cuts to public sector entitlements for public servants including those in the minister's own department. I quote from Treasurer Snelling: 'We made a mistake. We freely admit that.' The Hon. J.J. SNELLING House of Assembly Playford Minister for Employment, Training and Further Education PUBLIC SERVICE CUTS The Hon. J.J. SNELLING (Playford—Treasurer, Minister for Employment, Training and Further Education) (15:04): That decision was not a decision of one person: it was a decision of the entire cabinet. The entire cabinet went into that with its eyes open. We made the decision. I very well remember— Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order! The Hon. J.J. SNELLING House of Assembly The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: I very well remember the discussion around the cabinet table at the time. It was a difficult decision. It was not one that sat easily with any of us, and it is a decision that, upon reflection, the entire cabinet has made a decision that we will not proceed with it. This is not something about one person. This is about the cabinet as a whole coming to a collective decision that we should not proceed with that particular savings measure because it was going to have an adverse impact on the lowest-income public sector workers.