Another 400 Broken Promises As Unemployment Queue Grows

 A media release from the Labor opposition Leader Annastacia Palaszczuk:

30 AUGUST 2012

The Newman Government has today served up another 400 broken promises with mass sackings across the critical Natural Resources and Mines area.

Opposition Leader Annastacia Palaszczuk said Natural Resources Minister Andrew Cripps delivered another 413 public sector workers to the unemployment queue and had attempted to downplay the mass sackings as a “cost saving program” which “reshaped” his department.

“But what this Minister has failed to admit is that through his so-called reshaping he is marching more than 400 people out the door,” Ms Palaszczuk said.

“That’s another 400 families who will today find themselves in crisis, another 400 families who will be looking forward to an unhappy Christmas, another 400 families who will have to sort out how they are going to pay the rent, pay the mortgage and put food on the table.

“The manner in which this cold-hearted government is carrying out its vendetta against the public sector is nothing short of disgraceful.

“To the Premier and his Ministers, these workers are just numbers. And they can’t dress up the job losses whether they amount to 15,000 or 20,000 – that’s still 15,000 or 20,000 broken promises.

“And the reality is that with the number of workers now facing unemployment, the human cost is very high.

“In addition, when you rid the state of huge numbers of highly experienced workers like this, years of experience is marched out the door never to be replaced.

“The Minister has hide today to say that a number of these workers had expressed an interest in leaving their jobs and the insensitivity to dress his sacking program up as a vital cost savings exercise.

“These are the people who protect Queensland’s precious environment.

“The Minister needs to front up and tell Queenslanders how he intends to preserve and protect the environment without these jobs into the future.”