First cab off the rank for budget reactions is Jeremy Hanson from the Liberals:
Attacks on public service job cuts, superannuation, reductions on family tax payments, scrapping the baby bonus, introducing paid parking in the parliamentary zone, ongoing efficiency dividends, potential wage squeezes, reductions in office space, and university cuts are all going to affect the lives of Canberrans and damage our economy, according to ACT Opposition Leader Jeremy Hanson.
“Canberrans will pay the price for Labor’s economic vandalism and would be within their rights to ask their local Labor representatives why they should trust Labor given the repeated assertions about budget surpluses and security of public service jobs under Labor – promises that are now all in tatters.
“Just next year, 1,262 public service jobs are going, with more hurt to come. This is on the back of efficiency dividends that have been cutting deep into the public service and almost 3,000 jobs that were lost in the six months leading up to December last year. The full extent of job cuts still remains unclear.
“Our city prospers when the national economy is strong and in surplus, and people trust their government. Despite the spin from Wayne Swan and local Labor politicians including Gai Brodtman, Kate Lundy, and Andrew Leigh, the grim reality is that Labor has not delivered a surplus for 23 years. Canberrans have been lied to by Labor politicians who should now apologise for their misleading statements.
“This is a bad budget for Canberra. Labor’s $19b budget deficit and public service job cuts, expose the full effect of their mismanagement of our economy and expose all the broken promises,” concluded Mr Hanson.
Local labor’s silence to date is eloquent.
Labor MP Andrew Leigh has blogged his chat with Mark Parton.
Kate Lundy says this budget will make Canberra stronger, smarter and fairer.
As would any adversity one supposes.