Premier Out Of Touch With Those He’s Sacked

 A media release from the QLD Labor Opposition:

 

Opposition Leader Annastacia Palaszczuk says Premier Campbell Newman has shown how arrogant and out of touch he is by claiming no government worker has been sacked.

“The Premier’s bizarre statement shows he still hasn’t got a clue about the pain and anguish he is inflicting on Queensland families,” Ms Palaszczuk said.

“If you have a job with this government and this government takes it off you, I think you have grounds to say you have been sacked.

“The fact is no government and no Premier has previously said they were cutting up to 20,000 jobs.

“It was never a matter of calling for expressions of interest, the Premier always put it in terms of having 20,000 too many employees and they had to go.

“Now in the face of community opposition about the 14,000 jobs finally identified for culling, the Premier resorts to word games in an effort to save his own job.

“I suggest he goes and asks the 14,000 whose jobs are disappearing whether they feel if they have been sacked or not,” Ms Palaszczuk said.

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Fitch Confirms Downgrade Belongs To The LNP

Shadow Treasurer Curtis Pitt says the downgrade to Queensland’s credit rating is the responsibility of the LNP government – as warned by ratings agency Fitch in March.

“As Fitch Ratings noted in its last regular assessment, the latest ratings downgrade is all the LNP’s own work,” Mr Pitt said.

He said Fitch Ratings’ last regular assessment of the state issued on 26 March this year had stated:

“Queensland's new government has pledged to address the challenges of budgetary recovery and debt growth. Its ability to do this successfully will be an important component of our assessment of the state's rating, Fitch Ratings says.”

“In other words, Fitch warned that any of its ratings issues after March would be the responsibility of the LNP government,” Mr Pitt said.

“That means responsibility for the latest ratings downgrade rests squarely with the Newman Government and in particular Treasurer Tim Nicholls.

“It really is becoming rather sad to hear Mr Nicholls continually blaming the previous government for what Fitch has clearly said is his responsibility.”

He said the Treasurer needed to wake up and realise that he was no longer in Opposition.

“The fact is this week he delivered his first Budget and he needs to take responsibility for it.”

Mr Pitt said the Treasurer on ABC TV’s 730 Queensland on Tuesday night Mr Nicholls had agreed the 2012 State Budget drew “a line in the sand” and that the LNP would “take full responsibility for the decisions we’ve made in this Budget”.

“Quite simply, it is time Mr Nicholls lived up to his word,” Mr Pitt said.

Mr Pitt said in March Fitch had also commented on the state’s fiscal position and said:

“The outgoing [Labor] administration has taken initial steps to rectify the situation, reviewing the [capital expenditure] programme and using asset sale proceeds to cut borrowing. The most recent budget aims to lower debt despite recent natural disasters, including severe flooding and cyclones, and sluggish economic growth.”

“In other words, the previous government had taken steps to restore the Budget position,” Mr Pitt said.

“This is totally contrary to what Mr Nicholls has been repeatedly claiming.”

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LNP can’t distance itself from 14,000 sackings

The desperate LNP Government has attempted to distance itself from 14,000 devastating public sector sackings by offensively comparing their jobs purge to voluntary redundancies.

Shadow Treasurer Curtis Pitt said the shocking move by the LNP Health Minister was an insult to those public servants he had helped sack earlier this week who – unlike those offered redundancies under the former Labor Government – had been stripped of not only their jobs, but their dignity.

Mr Pitt said it was another desperate attempt to throw a smoke screen around not only job cuts but a backbench rebellion on rural fire job cuts, ripping pyjamas away from the sick and Clive Palmer’s attack on the Premier.

“The truth of the matter is that the Labor Government asked a pool of non-frontline workers if they would like to be considered for redundancy under our government’s measured Voluntary Separation Program,” Mr Pitt said.

“The key words here are “asked”, “considered” and “measured”.

“Unlike this cruel LNP Government which ambushed and sacked 14,000 people by email or telephone call, we went to our public sector workers and informed them voluntary separation was available if they wanted to be considered.

“We asked the pool of non-frontline workers, if they would like to be considered as part of the 3,500 VSP program.

“We did not ask teachers or doctors or nurses or police officers or anyone else on the frontline.

“These offers were made only to workers whose separation from the public sector would not impact on services.

“Ultimately up to 9,000 workers indicated they would like to receive an offer and 3,500 workers were given a package.”

Mr Pitt 40,000 public servants were identified as non-front line but at no stage had these jobs been under threat.

He said it was subsequently announced in the Mid Year Review that a further 1,500 offers would be available, taking the total of voluntary separations to 5,000.

“All of this is on the public record – no-one was sacked.

“People were asked - you cannot make an offer if you do not ask.

“To say that our government set out to sack 41,000 people is desperate, ill-informed and is yet another testament to this government’s twisted logic.”

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Dempsey Slashes Rural Firies In Half

Shadow Emergency Services Minister Bill Byrne says Emergency Service Minister Jack Dempsey needs to explain how the Queensland Rural Fire Service will continue to protect Queenslanders after announcing half of its staff positions supporting volunteers on the frontline are being axed.

“Reports of 45 of the 79 uniformed staff and 56 of the 117 support staff being axed next year is very alarming and runs the risk of putting at risk property and lives, including those of volunteer fire fighters,” Mr Byrne said.

“We have all heard the warnings about the dangers of the up-coming fire season. Conditions point to a testing season, with fuel loads high after two wet seasons and a dry winter.

“Mr Dempsey needs to explain why he is so confident that the same dangerous conditions won’t exist next year or the year after and in future years.

“He needs to explain why reducing professional staff won’t put family homes, farms, business premises and lives at risk.

“Mr Dempsey and the LNP Government has failed to acknowledge the vital service rural firies perform and have again axed a frontline service.

“Those being sacked help train the volunteer force to fight fires across the state making this announcement a massive blow to morale, rippling right across Queensland.

“The Rural Fire Service is responsible for 93% of the state and comprises more than 34,000 volunteers.

“This is a slap in the face for rural firies who every year perform courageous acts all over Queensland with little recognition,” he said.

Mr Byrne said the Minister might consider reductions in training standards or the removal of educational officer’s part of his commitment to reduce red tape.

“Mr Dempsey might also view the implementation of recommendations, such as those that come from the Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission, as just another piece of red tape.

“Many Queenslanders would be very alarmed that the LNP Government are scrapping recommendations from the Royal Commission into Black Saturday.”

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Trickiest Budget In A Generation

Shadow Treasurer Curtis Pitt says the 2012 State Budget proves the Newman Government’s scrapping of 14,000 jobs and savage cuts to frontline services are not paying down debt but are helping fund LNP election promises.

“This is the trickiest State Budget in a generation delivered by the meanest government in a generation,” Mr Pitt said.

“It is based entirely on the now widely discredited, made-to-measure projections of its highly politicised Costello Commission of Audit.

”I find it difficult to believe that Tim Nicholls said it was an ‘exciting time to be Treasurer’ on the day his own Budget slashes 14,000 jobs.

“The LNP thinks the people in those jobs are mere speed bumps and they are pleased to see them in the rear-view mirror as the government moves on to cut or outsource more jobs and frontline services.”

Mr Pitt said Tim Nicholls would go down in history as the Treasurer who delivered the largest deficit in Queensland’s history — $6.294 billion this financial year including $800 million in redundancy payments.

“This is just one way in which the Budget Papers reveal the mean and tricky nature of the Treasurer and the LNP government.

“Instead of using data from the independent Queensland Treasury, Mr Nicholls has relied on the flawed, made-to-measure projections of Peter Costello to again mislead Queenslanders.

“The Treasurer’s own Budget papers also confirm that Labor left office with debt at $62 billion despite the repeated claims by the LNP of a $65 billion debt.”

Mr Pitt said the State Budget outlined almost a carbon copy of the debt-reduction strategy planned by the former government.

“Why is it a ‘debt binge’ when Labor borrows to build infrastructure and creat jobs, but not when the LNP does it?” he said.

“This roughly parallels Labor’s strategy previously outlined by Queensland Treasury that was to see debt peak in 2014-15 at $85 billion.

“Then it would wind down once the level of spending on Labor’s once-in-a-generation infrastructure was also reduced to the more usual levels of less than $10 billion a year.

“The difference is that Labor was never planning to cut 14,000 jobs including frontline positions such as nurses across Queensland.

“The only conclusion is that the LNP’s mass sackings and cuts to frontline services have been to fund the LNP’s election commitments.”

Mr Pitt said the Treasurer’s statements suggested the LNP’s jobs purge was not yet over.

“Mr Nicholls refers to even more jobs going, which means more families without a pay-packet and more communities and local economies feeling the impacts of reduced spending and a drop in confidence.”

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Cairns The Big Loser In LNP State Budget

The first LNP State Budget has today officially wiped Cairns off the funding map with the scrapping of major infrastructure projects and critical underfunding of others.

Shadow Treasurer Curtis Pitt said the Member for Cairns Gavin King had now officially lost more than $90 million for the people of Cairns with further implications across Far North Queensland

“Mr King has lost the $57.3 million Cairns Entertainment Precinct and $33 million worth of investment in the Cairns CBD upgrade, with the LNP only allocating $5 million for the CBD upgrade,” Mr Pitt said.

“The people of Cairns should be incredibly disappointed that Mr King has let the LNP Government rip infrastructure investment out of Far North Queensland.

“This will have wide-ranging impact on jobs and industry in the whole Far North region.

“Although the LNP Government has committed to $40 million for the Trinity Inlet dredging project, this is well short of the expected cost of between $80-100 million.

“The LNP is also claiming that 75 per cent of all infrastructure spending will be outside of Brisbane when in reality this is a truly SEQ-centric Budget.

“The truth is that 70 per cent of that funding will be spent within a four hour drive of Brisbane, leaving the Far North out of the equation.

“Additionally the water rebate will be enjoyed only by SEQ residents.

“Of course all of this is on top of the major slash and burn exercise by this LNP Government which has today seen 14,000 public sector workers shows the door, including more than 4100 for the critical Health area – a far cry from the 2750 workers announced just days ago.

“That has enormous, devastating ramifications for all Queensland regions, including the Far North.

“Sacking health and road workers across the state only means a bigger infrastructure spend in the southern regions.”

Mr Pitt said the State Budget had exposed the mean and tricky nature of the LNP Government through its recycling of Labor Government initiatives.

“In particular the $2.5 million for the Water Police catamaran for Cairns, $1.2 million Millaa Millaa fire station and $3.3 million for the Mareeba fire station announced as LNP projects were started and initially funded in last year’s budget by the previous Labor government,” he said.

“The $1.25 million for the SES headquarters was also a Labor Government election commitment.

“The $28.3 million to expand and redevelop the Lotus Glen Correctional Centre is a continuation of the previous Labor Government’s investment.

“The investment in Lotus Glen is also the height of hypocrisy by the LNP Government as they have already moth-balled 90 new cells which were completed by the previous Labor Government.”

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Nothing For Rocky In Tricky Slash And Burn Budget

The first LNP Government State Budget has delivered nothing for Rockhampton but a rehash and continuation of Labor Government initiatives and projects, short-changing the people of Central Queensland.

Rockhampton MP Bill Byrne said the State Budget had exposed the mean and tricky nature of the LNP Government through its recycling of Labor Government initiatives.

“We were lead to believe this would be a Budget that addressed cost of living issues but the Premier and his Treasurer are nowhere to be seen on this,” Mr Byrne said.

“This is a Budget that does nothing but deliver misery, does nothing but slash and axe jobs 14,000 jobs.

“The Treasurer can dress that number up any way he wants but the truth is thousands of those jobs are from the frontline – more than 4,000 in health alone.

“Let’s not forget today – in fact let’s not ever forget – that history will record this day as the day Campbell Newman and Tim Nicholls showed 14,000 public sector workers the door and told them not to come back on Monday.”

Mr Byrne said the State Budget had also exposed the LNP as a cynical recycler of former Labor Government initiatives.

“There’s nothing in this Budget for our region – indeed for all of Queensland – except job losses and bad news for people trying to pay the rent, pay their mortgage and put their kids through school.

“And critically, they have failed to give Rockhampton a fair go.

“They have merely committed to building projects initiated by the Labor Government and dressing them up as their own announcements.

“In particular, funding for the Rocky Hospital redevelopment and the $4 million replacement fire station and the new $3 million ambulance station for Emerald dressed up today as LNP projects were started and initially funded in last year’s budget by the previous Labor government.”