Liberal Senator Gary Humphries has announced his discovery of plans to cut jobs at the Health Department:
A response to a question on notice from the Minister for Health and Ageing tabled in the Senate today has revealed that the Department of Health and Ageing is to shed 420 jobs next financial year.
The response says that “it is presently estimated staffing for the core department will reduce from a forecast of 4,060 staff in 2010-11 to a forecast 3,640 in 2012-13 i.e. an estimated decrease of 420 staff or approximately 10%”.
“This is rank hypocrisy from the Labor MPs who purport to stand up for Canberra’s public service,” Senator Humphries said today.
“As Labor candidates in the 2010 federal election, Andrew Leigh, Gai Brodtmann and Kate Lundy insisted that they would stand up against reductions in the size of the public service. Indeed ACT Labor was very critical of the Liberal Party for proposing much more modest cuts than these.
“Now it looks as though they don’t care when Labor plans to make cuts to the public service.
“The Coalition was up front and honest about its plans to downsize the public service by natural attrition alone. Just like its broken promise on the carbon tax, Labor has said one thing before an election and done another thing once elected.
“If Andrew Leigh, Gai Brodtmann and Kate Lundy are fair dinkum about protecting the public service in Canberra they would speak out. Sadly, I’m not holding my breath.
A fair dinkum! That’s a rare splendour!