Halton swings the axe at Health

neanderthalsis said :

HiddenDragon said :

There may be an element of getting ahead of the game here – “look Tony, we’re getting leaner and meaner every day – no need to abolish us and send all the money in unmarked notes to the States and Territories”.

LSWCHP said :

Let us not forget that all current job losses are as a result of the Labor efficiency dividend. While all the Labor apologists are saying that Tony Rabbit will lead us Canberrans to wrack and ruin by sacking half the APS, Labor has been doing it by stealth for 6 years. At least the Libs have the decency to tell you before they sink the knife in, labor declares their undying support and knifes you in the back.

This.

At the end of the day, Canberra has to expect to be cut as the rest of the country is suffering job wise.

Anyone who thinks that Labor have done the PS any favours in the last three years is delusional.

As far as Jane’s statement is concerned, it would be good if she and the rest of her SES colleagues across the federal public sector could grasp the concept of working together. IMHO they spend all their time knifing each other in the back, blocking and sabotaging each other, clamboring over each others corpses in an attempt to look like one of the productive movers and shakers. Pro tip for you SES – work together instead of black balling each other, collectively you may actually achieve something – as opposed to destroying the public sector as you seem to be doing so well.

Roundhead89 said :

Sounds like a bit of self preservation by Halton, trying to get in and be noticed as being a strong departmental head implementing staff cuts to avoid being a casualty of Tony’s night of the long knives after the election. Sounds like the way John Stone saved his job at Treasury when Bob Hawke won the 1983 election by – on the same day – devaluing the dollar and delivering Keating a letter trashing the previous government’s economic management by revealing a budget deficit twice as high as the previous treasurer told the public.

Jane Halton was DoHA Secretary at the time Tony Abbott was Minister for Health – I don’t think there will be any long knives awaiting her. Rather the opposite, I would imagine she would be in line for promotion to a central agency – probably Finance, maybe even PM&C.

Sounds like a bit of self preservation by Halton, trying to get in and be noticed as being a strong departmental head implementing staff cuts to avoid being a casualty of Tony’s night of the long knives after the election. Sounds like the way John Stone saved his job at Treasury when Bob Hawke won the 1983 election by – on the same day – devaluing the dollar and delivering Keating a letter trashing the previous government’s economic management by revealing a budget deficit twice as high as the previous treasurer told the public.

Just a question, if Tony gets in and they start letting everyone go, will this effect federal PS only or will it also include local Gov. I am not sure how it all works.

HiddenDragon said :

There may be an element of getting ahead of the game here – “look Tony, we’re getting leaner and meaner every day – no need to abolish us and send all the money in unmarked notes to the States and Territories”.

LSWCHP said :

I remember walking around among all the shuttered premises in Fyshwick back in the late 90s, and being thankful that I had a job. I suspect that after Mr Abbott and his crew are elected there will be a recession in the ACT that will make the Post-Howard years look like a picnic.

Let us not forget that all current job losses are as a result of the Labor efficiency dividend. While all the Labor apologists are saying that Tony Rabbit will lead us Canberrans to wrack and ruin by sacking half the APS, Labor has been doing it by stealth for 6 years. At least the Libs have the decency to tell you before they sink the knife in, labor declares their undying support and knifes you in the back.

I wonder if the loss of 400 jobs here has made the national news, as happened with the guys in the automotive industry.

Times are getting tougher everywhere, and people I know in a variety of sectors are battening down the hatches. Money is being saved, plans for major purchases such as new cars and domestic appliances are being put on hold and lifestyles are generally being trimmed back.

I remember walking around among all the shuttered premises in Fyshwick back in the late 90s, and being thankful that I had a job. I suspect that after Mr Abbott and his crew are elected there will be a recession in the ACT that will make the Post-Howard years look like a picnic.

ABC News are reporting 300 jobs to go at DAFF.

How does that fit with caretaker conventions?

What do you expect from someone who was part of Howard’s inner “children overboard” sanctum?

Time for a cakestall. Sounds like EL will soon stand for Extinction Level.

pffft … the Feds still leak/waste money like nobody’s business. Staff have steadily floated up the ladder for no change in performance … do they even hire ASO1’s or 2’s any more? Consequently there’s mountains of senior types who don’t contribute much – they’ll do 400 on their ear.