Mr REED - 2001-10-24
Madam Speaker, given the governments unswerving support of Percy Allan’s report, I ask the minister if he supports and will adopt Professor Percy Allan’s statement that public service administration should be restructured into fewer departments; that mega departments should be formed; and the loss of jobs across government by attrition would then accrue in savings to government. Can he give Territorians, particularly those hard-working public servants, an assurance that there will not be a reduction in the overall number of public servants by attrition, by job losses or otherwise, and that the government will reject this component of Percy Allan’s report?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the Deputy Leader of the Opposition for his question. We well know the credentials, the experience, the expertise, that one Professor Percy Allan brought to the Northern Territory when he had about a week to go over the budgetary position with Treasury officials. The budgetary position – which was explained to us very shortly after we came to government - was in an unsustainable position.
Mr Reed interjecting.
Mr STIRLING: An unsustainable position, just weeks after this clown, as the Treasurer in this House, told us that we were headed for a bottom line for this financial year of a $12m deficit. Tragically, the truth will probably come out closer to around $130m to $140m. Professor Allan is a highly-respected former Under Treasurer of New South Wales, under governments of both persuasions. There are many aspects to his report, and every one of those aspects will be considered by government over time.
Can I say this in respect of attrition: it is a practice that our predecessors used, much to the detriment of the public sector, Planning for Growth and those sorts of initiatives. The former Treasurer is one to talk. He was going to save $15m on DCIS, and instead he finished up spending $41m. It was at that point we asked him to keep his hands in his pocket and not try to go saving any more money because, every time he did, he cost us an arm and a leg. He cost us more jobs and more dollars every time he sought to save money.
In respect of attrition, it is acknowledged, by private sector and governments alike, that attrition does not get you where you want to be, because you do not necessarily lose the positions that you can afford to let go. In fact, if you were to go encouraging that way, you would lose the people, generally speaking, that you very much want to keep in terms of the aims and objectives of the organisation, and where you are trying to go.
This government is not sold on attrition as necessarily the way that you want to retain costs or get costs down, because it is simply often the case that it is the front-end service delivery people who are in this process of attrition. They are the very people with the skills and public relations that you need there. If you go on allowing the process of attrition, and those people are to leave and not be replaced, you are simply left with a public service unable to deliver the services overall on behalf of government, that it is required to.
In terms of any other decisions, Cabinet is working its way through those proposals, and it will make its decisions in the weeks to come …
Mr Reed: No comfort there for the public service.
Mr STIRLING: … and you will be among the first to know, Deputy Opposition Leader, let me tell you.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the Deputy Leader of the Opposition for his question. We well know the credentials, the experience, the expertise, that one Professor Percy Allan brought to the Northern Territory when he had about a week to go over the budgetary position with Treasury officials. The budgetary position – which was explained to us very shortly after we came to government - was in an unsustainable position.
Mr Reed interjecting.
Mr STIRLING: An unsustainable position, just weeks after this clown, as the Treasurer in this House, told us that we were headed for a bottom line for this financial year of a $12m deficit. Tragically, the truth will probably come out closer to around $130m to $140m. Professor Allan is a highly-respected former Under Treasurer of New South Wales, under governments of both persuasions. There are many aspects to his report, and every one of those aspects will be considered by government over time.
Can I say this in respect of attrition: it is a practice that our predecessors used, much to the detriment of the public sector, Planning for Growth and those sorts of initiatives. The former Treasurer is one to talk. He was going to save $15m on DCIS, and instead he finished up spending $41m. It was at that point we asked him to keep his hands in his pocket and not try to go saving any more money because, every time he did, he cost us an arm and a leg. He cost us more jobs and more dollars every time he sought to save money.
In respect of attrition, it is acknowledged, by private sector and governments alike, that attrition does not get you where you want to be, because you do not necessarily lose the positions that you can afford to let go. In fact, if you were to go encouraging that way, you would lose the people, generally speaking, that you very much want to keep in terms of the aims and objectives of the organisation, and where you are trying to go.
This government is not sold on attrition as necessarily the way that you want to retain costs or get costs down, because it is simply often the case that it is the front-end service delivery people who are in this process of attrition. They are the very people with the skills and public relations that you need there. If you go on allowing the process of attrition, and those people are to leave and not be replaced, you are simply left with a public service unable to deliver the services overall on behalf of government, that it is required to.
In terms of any other decisions, Cabinet is working its way through those proposals, and it will make its decisions in the weeks to come …
Mr Reed: No comfort there for the public service.
Mr STIRLING: … and you will be among the first to know, Deputy Opposition Leader, let me tell you.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016