The NSW Government must come clean on which jobs and services will be cut after today delivering a budget that takes an axe to the public sector, the NSW Public Service Association said today.

“Treasurer Mike Baird promised today’s budget would deliver smaller government – that’s simply code for selling off assets, outsourcing our trusted institutions and cutting jobs and services,” said PSA General Secretary John Cahill.

“You can’t cut 10,000 jobs out of the public service – on top of the 5,000 announced last year – without hitting the services the communities of NSW rely on.

“The people whose jobs will be cut are not just a headline figure, they are health policy experts, park rangers, motor registry staff, social workers, land and water management experts and the civilian staff who support our firefighters and police.

“Mr Baird says the government should get out of the way of people’s daily lives – in fact I think he’ll find the people of NSW would like better public services in their daily lives, not worse.

“You can’t build NSW without a strong public service.”

The budget includes:

• a 1.2% reduction in labour cost growth, equal to up to 10,000 jobs.
• $55 million cut from recurrent funding to the Office of Environment and Heritage, which will see critical land and water management jobs cut and hit regional communities and economies.

This year’s budget documents reverse previous practice of listing the number of full-time equivalent jobs budgeted for in departments and agencies.

“What is the government hiding? It has a plan to cut up to 10,000 jobs. If the government knows where these jobs are coming from, it should come clean with the public about which programs will be cut.

“If it doesn’t know where the jobs are coming and has just plucked the figure of 10,000 out of thin air that reveals a reckless disregard for NSW public servants and the NSW economy.”