PUBLIC SECTOR EMPLOYEES

The Hon. G.A. KANDELAARS (15:11): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Industrial Relations a question.

Leave granted.

The Hon. G.A. KANDELAARS: Last week the Leader of the Opposition told reporters she would slash a minimum of 25,000 public sector jobs—that is 25,000 public sector jobs—if the Liberals won government in 2014. That is approximately a quarter—one in four—of the current public sector workforce. Can the Minister for Industrial Relations please outline the ramifications if this irresponsible action should be implemented?

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY (Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for State/Local Government Relations) (15:11): I would like to thank and acknowledge the long-term interest the Hon. Mr Kandelaars has had in a very highly skilled and productive public service. This is a very sad story. It is sad for the state, and I must say there can only be one happy ending on this. The only way there can be a happy ending is if the state Liberals lose the next election, if the people of South Australia ensure that they are not elected at the next election.

In recent times we have seen Liberal governments in Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland take the axe to the public sector workforces, namely in the areas of health, education, community services, police, child safety and disability services. Members would be aware that, if the Leader of the Opposition has her way, the public sector here in South Australia will also face a policy of slash and burn.

Indeed, South Australian workers will suffer a worse fate than their Queensland counterparts should the Liberal Party be elected in 2014, with the opposition leader announcing that 25,000 public sector jobs should go. Liberal governments in the eastern states have now amassed over 30,000 public sector job cuts and stripped billions of dollars from vital frontline services. It is now apparent that the South Australian Liberals have conjured up their own hit list targeting teachers, nurses, fire fighters, ambulance officers, child protection workers and the police.

As a Labor government we have invested in key infrastructure programs that have created jobs. We realise that we must plan carefully for the future, but we have made a decision not to cut or compromise essential services. Our primary responsibility must be to provide a good education for our children, keep our communities safe and provide the best care possible to the sick and disabled.

The opposition's planned cuts would have an enormous impact on one of my own agencies. A 25 per cent staff reduction within SafeWork SA would lead to the loss of approximately 64 positions. This would have a significant impact on SafeWork SA's ability to deliver and support a raft of front-line preventive, regulatory and enforcement functions in areas such as occ health and safety, industrial relations and dangerous substances which are required to achieve safe, fair and productive workplaces in South Australia.

Importantly, a 25 per cent reduction would result in reduced service delivery to those areas which require it most, such as regional South Australia. In regional and remote communities in South Australia such a reduction would result in fewer staff to cover high risk occupations, including farming and agriculture. These staffing cuts would inevitably lead to an unacceptable increase in workplace injuries and fatalities. Our Prime Minister, the Hon. Julia Gillard, summed it up well when addressing a convention meeting in Brisbane over the weekend:

These blokes who crow about it and crack jokes about it and lick their lips as they do the dirty work...and show their true values in the cuts they make.

They've cut the Rural Fire Service, the ultimate frontline services.

They've cut the palliative care beds—care for the dying.

They've cut the children's guardian.

They've cut the domestic violence services.

They've even dismantled BreastScreen Queensland.

A cut so brutal I didn't even believe it when I first read the reports, and so sad I still don't want to believe it now.

Until now, the Leader of the Opposition has quite rightly been accused by many of being bereft of policy ideas. Finally, the Leader of the Opposition has shown her true colours and now the cat is out of the bag. The fact that she has later had to qualify her comments shows that she is either unable to get a simple fact straight and is completely ignorant about the public sector job numbers or she was initially honest about her true intentions but later lied to the South Australian public with her embarrassing retraction. It is difficult to tell which scenario is worse. Whatever the case, the public of South Australia deserve better.