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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2012-02-15 Daily Xml
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ANTI-POVERTY UNIT

Mr GARDNER (Morialta) (15:06): My question is for the Premier. Does the Premier stand by the government's decision to cut 44 financial counsellor positions from the anti-poverty unit, especially given that requests for financial counselling assistance to the NGO sector have increased by up to 373 per cent since these cuts?

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL (Cheltenham—Premier, Minister for State Development) (15:06): These were part of a series of reforms that were designed to support the growth in expenditure and a range of important public services, including our health sector. There is no doubt that we have had to make judgments about moving some of our resources from areas of lower priority to higher priority. We make no apologies for that and, indeed, we think that financial counselling is something which is appropriately handled within the non-government sector. We don't think it is core government business for us to be doing that sort of activity. We have during the same period and, indeed, in the same budget, made dramatically large investments in both the education sector, the child protection sector and the health sector. These are the sort of judgments that we're prepared to make and if those sort of difficult decisions are not the decisions that you think you could make in government, then you are clearly not equipped for the role.

Mr WILLIAMS: Point of order: is it not disorderly for the Premier to have his back to you when he is answering the question?

The SPEAKER: We've been over that a thousand times in the past. Thank you. Premier, have you finished your answer?

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: Yes.

The SPEAKER: Thank you. Member for Reynell.

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