In an all-staff meeting, Department Secretary Blair Comley announced job cuts were imminent and far greater than had been originally forecast.

“Only a week ago, Kate Lundy said she was pleased there would be no forced redundancies”, Senator Humphries said today.

“There is a disconnect between the Treasurer and his ACT members who clearly have no clue what their own party is planning”.

Department bosses have been coming under increased pressure to shed jobs since Labor increased the efficiency dividend to its highest ever level and delivered a budget that now tries to claw back money the Government have been out spending.

“Kate Lundy, Andrew Leigh and Gai Brodtmann have continually misled the ACT and the APS by stating there would be no job losses, despite all evidence to the contrary”.

This morning on Canberra radio, Andrew Leigh was forced to concede that the Labor mantra of no APS job losses was set to join the festering pile of broken Labor promises and admitted that he had recently met with Deputy Chief Minister Andrew Barr to find out how the ACT government could absorb the losses from the federal public service.

“This government have a chronic trust and honesty deficit, and this time, it’s the hard working public servants who were told they had nothing to fear that will suffer”, Senator Humphries concluded.

17 May 2012

Division and confusion within the Labor ranks is taking hold with Labor MPs unsure about their policy for the Australian Public Service.

“Local Labor MPs seem to be singing off a completely different sheet of music to the Treasurer and Finance Minister – and it seems that no-one in the government actually knows just how many jobs will go,” ACT Senator Humphries said today.

“Finance Minister Penny Wong says ‘overwhelmingly, these job losses are a result of natural attrition and voluntary redundancies’, yet Kate Lundy has said she is ‘very pleased there won’t be any forced redundancies’ (my emphasis).

“So which is it?  None, as Kate Lundy says, or few, as Penny Wong implies?

“Public servants are entitled to know whether or not they might be sacked to make up the Government’s job loss targets.”

In a recent joint media statement that conflicts with modelling based on Treasury’s own wage-spending forecasts, Kate Lundy, Andrew Leigh and Gai Brodtmann claim ‘The Budget outlines a reduction to average staffing levels across the public sector which means the Canberra public sector will contract by 1,500 positions through the uptake of voluntary redundancies and natural attrition’.

“Kate Lundy, Andrew Leigh and Gai Brodtmann can’t even get their lines straight on the issue. They don’t know how many sackings are going to occur under Labor. They need to sit down with Wayne Swan and Penny Wong and find out just what their government have in store for the APS.

“In less than a week department bosses are going to appear before the Senate Estimates committees and reveal just how many jobs this budget will slash – time for ACT Labor to come clean is running out”, Senator Humphries concluded. 

 16 May 2012

Treasurer Wayne Swan’s budget on Tuesday night sent shockwaves through the public service with at least 4,200 jobs to be shed in the coming financial year.

But the total number of job losses is far from clear, with third party analysis suggesting 12,000 jobs are to be lost by the end of 2014-15.

“The ALP must, as an imperative, detail how many jobs they plan to axe”, Senator Humphries said today.

“The Coalition has been up front in our plans to reduce government spending through natural attrition, while the Labor Party have continually said there would be no job losses – that is clearly just another broken Labor promise .

“It’s time for a bit of transparency.  Voters in the ACT in particular are entitled to know where the major parties stand on this.

“Since the budget has been handed down, I have been examining the detail and it in no way reflects the promises given by local Labor politicians of no public service job cuts.

“The Labor party have continually denied what was plain to see, and now it is in their budget, in black and white.

“They must be honest with the public servants who are worried about their future under this government.

“I urge Kate Lundy, Andrew Leigh and Gai Brodtmann to speak to their Treasurer and Finance Minister, find out what this budget really means for Canberra and come clean with their electorate”, Senator Humphries concluded.

13 May 2012

The Canberra Times today estimated that the Public Service would lose 12,000 jobs as a result of Labor’s 2012/13 budget, while the GST distribution would leave the ACT seriously short changed.

“Labor have been given chance after chance to come clean about how many public servants will lose their jobs, but they just cannot bring themselves to be honest with the electorate”, Senator Humphries said today.

“If this government had any credibility left before last night’s abysmal budget, it’s gone now.”

Confusion within Labor’s own ranks over the impacts on the ACT also seems rife with the Finance Minister, Penny Wong, at odds with Senator Kate Lundy.  Last night Senator Wong said there would be “few” sackings while this morning Senator Lundy said there would be none.

“This is a party that is stumbling and bumbling around its own dishonesty. It’s a concern that the Finance Minister and Sports Minister have different interpretations of Labor’s own budget.

“Labor can’t provide any clear indication of the budget’s impact on the ACT, and their hollow promises to defend the APS have now joined the continually growing pile of broken Labor promises.

“While the Coalition has been clear about our plans for the APS, the ALP have attempted to do by stealth what they promised they wouldn’t – cut jobs from the Public Service”, Senator Humphries concluded.

9 May 2012

Recommendation 9 of the review urges the government to implement paid parking in the Parliamentary Triangle.

“ACT Labor look set to cash in by slugging Canberrans more just to park their cars”, Senator Humphries said following the release of the review.

“The review claims that forcing Canberrans to pay for parking will ease congestion, despite not having examined the reasons for an increase of traffic flow throughout the parliamentary triangle.

Senator Humphries has criticised the ACT and Federal Labor Governments for failing to invest in infrastructure and public transport in the capital.

“With an ill-equipped public transport system that has lacked real funding and infrastructure development for years under Labor, it is unreasonable for the government to expect Canberrans to just go without their cars.

“This measure is purely another money hungry mechanism that will feed the Labor and Greens’ addiction to spending taxpayers’ money”.

Senator Humphries predicts that another hit to the hip pocket will see a reduction in visitors to the Capital and those seeking to visit, live and work in the ACT.

“Paid parking will reduce traffic numbers, that’s for sure – tourists, families, those employed within the parliamentary triangle – it will simply see them look over the border as the costs just keep rising and make Canberra a less attractive place to visit, live and work in”, Senator Humphries concluded.

7 May 2012

The Prime Minister cited ‘shifting circumstances and changing demands’ to justify demolishing the self propelled artillery project and allowing another major setback for the Joint Strike Fighter, while boasting how it would help return Labor’s budget to surplus.

“This is another crushing blow to the ADF”, Senator Humphries said following the press conference.

“Stephen Smith’s conceited announcement that the delay of the Joint Strike Fighter project will result in a net benefit of $1.6 billion to the budget proves this government have their eye on one thing, and that nothing is off limits.

In addition to the scrapping of a number of projects and a key position within Defence capability, the government announced they will introduce a new Defence White Paper sooner than they had proposed.

“The new white paper is nothing more than an excuse for the Government to find more ways to cut money from the ADF, and on top of that, Stephen Smith has announced a new ministerial advisory group that adds yet another layer of bureaucracy to Defence and will do nothing to enhance defence capability.

“Instead of announcing a decision had finally been made on the fate of the future submarines project, the government committed to yet more studies to determine the best way forward.

“Today’s announcement is what the government are willing to say openly, and with the budget less than a week away, Defence should brace for more pain. The Minister says there are more cuts to come, and I predict they will be even more ruthless.

“This government continue to erode the confidence and capability of the ADF”, Senator Humphries concluded.

3 May 2012

The Coalition’s spokesman on emergency management, Senator Gary Humphries is alarmed at the revelations from the man who was responsible for Australia’s emergency services.

“This is a major concern for the whole country, especially those continuing to feel the effect of disasters”, Senator Humphries said today.

“I have people from around the country phoning my office almost daily asking why they can’t get assistance to help them rebuild their lives.

“When the former Minister is publicly detailing how the Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payments are being mismanaged, the new Attorney General has no excuse not to listen”.

Mr McClelland has also criticised the government for continuing to lie to the electorates and has predicted that Labor will suffer a crushing defeat if they do not start telling the truth.

“Here is a former Minister who is saying that this government need to tell the truth and calling for the government to provide some legitimacy in their decision making”.

Canberra is approaching the 10 year anniversary of the bushfires that raged across the national capital destroying homes, Canberra icons and claiming lives.

“Calls to not risk the safety of Australians from the former Attorney General should be a serious wake up call to the government.

“As a nation, we have to be as prepared as we can be to respond to any disaster, and if our preparedness is being compromised by government, we are in a very dangerous position.

“Labor’s ability to manage disasters and mitigate their impact is being jeopardised and I call on the Minister Roxon to listen to her predecessor, be honest about the issues facing her portfolio and get them sorted”, Senator Humphries concluded.

Thursday 5 April 2012

The latest cuts, forced by the government’s increased efficiency dividend will see a hit of close to $300million to the department’s budget bottom line over the forward estimates.

“These cuts are a massive concern for Canberrans and send a wave of uncertainty across the APS”, Senator Humphries said today.

“The Department of Human Services now have to find nearly $100million worth of savings each year, yet the ALP continues to claim that no jobs will be lost; no one believes that.

“This government has serious problems with telling the truth.

“Australian’s don’t appreciate having the wool pulled over their eyes and told all is well; we saw it with the untrustworthy New South Wales Labor Government and even more recently with Queensland Labor.

“Why Kate Lundy, Gai Brodtmann and Andrew Leigh continue to deny what their own departments are telling them is dumbfounding.

“We are only a matter of weeks away from the Treasurer handing down another abysmal Labor budget where more cuts to jobs and services are set to be announced; it may be a good time for ACT Labor to come clean.

“If the Labor party continue to lie to the electorate, they can expect to be treated with the same contempt they show to the Australian people”, Senator Humphries concluded.

3 March 2012

A motion moved today by Senator Humphries called on the Senate to express confidence in Commodore Kafer’s performance in his duties as the Commandant of ADFA.

The motion was defeated 37 votes to 31.

“The Government’s relationship with Defence is completely untenable”, Senator Humphries said.

“Today was a chance for the government to repair the badly damaged relationship with the Defence community, but it squibbed that chance.

“The Minister commissioned the report into the so-called ‘Skype Scandal’ at ADFA but then refused to accept its finding that Commodore Kafer had done nothing wrong

“The Defence Minister made a grave error and cannot bring himself to admit he was wrong – it’s childish and undermines the confidence the Defence Force should have in their Minister.

The motion also sought to have the Defence Minister explain why the government took 85 days to release the findings of the Kirkham inquiry, leaving Commodore Kafer’s reputation swinging in the breeze.

“When the Defence Minister can’t make a decision on our new submarines, shows little commitment to the portfolio and can’t admit to mistakes, he really has to consider if the job is right for him”, Senator Humphries concluded.

22 Macrh 2012

The motion moved today in the Senate sought to ensure funding for non government schools would not be stripped back to 2003/2004 levels, as per the Greens education policy.

“The motion simply sought to reject the Greens’ policy to make massive funding cuts to the non-government sector, yet the Labor Party chose not to support it – that is a major worry”, Senator Humphries said today.

Senator Humphries has expressed concern that Labor’s ever-changing policy platform may now include cuts to the non-government education sector.

“The ALP must reveal what they are planning for the non-government education sector.

“I was alarmed to see Labor not get behind the non government education sector.

“We already know the Greens have an agenda to defund the non-government education sector, and now we see Labor falling in behind their comrades.

“Again we see the Greens tail wagging the Labor dog “, Senator Humphries concluded.

14 March 2012