Mark Speakman
NSW Leader of the Opposition
Dugald Saunders
NSW Leader of the Nationals
Shadow Minister for Regional NSW
Shadow Minister for Agriculture, Trade and Natural Resources
The Minns Labor Government has cut 1,515 public sector jobs in just two weeks, gutting essential services across WaterNSW, the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD), Transport for NSW and TAFE NSW.
These are not back-office roles. These are the flood mitigation teams, dam safety experts, pest response officers, public transport staff and TAFE support workers who keep the state safe, moving and educated.
The Premier and his Treasurer didn’t front the public. Instead, staff were told by email and department secretaries were sent to answer the media while ministers went missing.
Leader of the Opposition Mark Speakman said Chris Minns and Daniel Mookhey make the cuts, then hope no one notices.
“They sack workers in silence, then roll out a distraction with an easel board and a media release about something already announced or still just a thought bubble,” Mr Speakman said.
NSW Nationals Leader Dugald Saunders said the gutless decision shows a complete lack of understanding of what the regions need.
“Not only will this leave our country communities more vulnerable when it comes to natural disasters like the recent devastating flooding, but it will also risk our primary industries and the food and fibre people rely on every single day,” Mr Saunders said.
“It’s a brutal one-two punch where it’s ripping hundreds of jobs out of the bush and removing years of knowledge and experience at the same time, which will have a very real impact on our front-line defences when it comes to things like biosecurity.”
The Minns Government has flagged $279 million dollars in so-called internal labour savings but has refused to release any detail about where the next round of cuts will come from.
While essential jobs are being stripped away, Labor continues to hold media events and issue press releases for rehashed ideas and recycled promises.
This is not a government focused on delivering. It is a government focused on distraction.
The Premier and Treasurer must now come clean. What other services are being cut? How many more jobs are going? And why are they hiding it from the public?