House of Assembly Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2) 52 2 Parliament of South Australia House of Assembly published Question Time Public Sector Employees PUBLIC SECTOR EMPLOYEES Mrs REDMOND House of Assembly Heysen Leader of the Opposition PUBLIC SECTOR EMPLOYEES Mrs REDMOND (Heysen—Leader of the Opposition) (14:09): My question is to the Minister for the Public Sector. If the government does not need the 5,150 public servants that they have budgeted to let go over three consecutive budgets, why were these people employed in the first place? Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order! The Hon. M.F. O'BRIEN House of Assembly Napier Minister for Finance Minister for the Public Sector The Hon. M.F. O'BRIEN (Napier—Minister for Finance, Minister for the Public Sector) (14:09): Where does one start? We have gone through a global financial crisis. Europe is now in turmoil. The plus is that Australia sits among the top five in terms of national wealth. A week or two ago, the Minister for Health and Ageing informed us that Australians are among the top five nations in terms of life expectancy. So, we are one of the wealthiest countries in the world, we live longer— Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order! The Hon. M.F. O'BRIEN House of Assembly The Hon. M.F. O'BRIEN: —we are one of three nations that went through the global financial crisis without going into recession, the others were Norway and Israel, but despite the sound economic fundamentals of Australia and South Australia what is happening elsewhere in the world, particularly in southern Europe and the eurozone— Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order! The Hon. M.F. O'BRIEN House of Assembly The Hon. M.F. O'BRIEN: —is having an impact and we are responding to that impact. Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order! You are wasting your question time. The member for Fisher.