darinsullivan.blogspot.com: @BarryOFarrell axe to the public service

Wielding the axe ... Premier Barry O'Farrell / Pic: Kristi Miller Source: The Daily Telegraph

Join us over on Facebook | Twitter

PREMIER Barry O'Farrell has taken a feather to the public service with only 5000 workers facing the chopping block - although that number could double.

Combined with capping wages the move is expected to save $6 billion over the next four years, with no department immune from the cuts.
Jobs in HR, payroll and administration are to go, with the government establishing six shared corporate services hubs to manage all departments.
At least three prisons will be shut - Parramatta, Berrima and Kirkconnell - forcing 350 job losses, while NSW Health will shed 300 from its head office and 350 from the merger of RTA, RailCorp and Sydney Ferries.
At the same time, however, the government is employing an extra 200 teachers, 940 nurses and 150 new police officers this year.
Business groups yesterday welcomed the overhaul of the public sector saying it was time tough decisions were made to rein in spiralling costs.

Start of sidebar. Skip to end of sidebar.

Today's Poll

Related Coverage

Baird: Treasurer with fancy footwork

Budget: Homeowners' dream is now further away

Editorial: A golden chance, a leaden effort

NSW: First home buyers' sting in state budget

Rent increase: Poor will pay more for public housing

Road toll: Cut-price licences to reward good drivers

Land: Farmers pleased they haven't been bushwhacked

Education: Teachers get boost in budget

Projected: Deficit of surplus confidence

Chopping block: Death for disability scheme

Enegry: Paying bill for a solar failure

Health: Injection of $17b won't cure system

Infrastructure: Royalties spat may halt road, rail work

Baird misses chance to cut state spending The Australian, 9 hours ago
Sell-off fireworks waiting in the wings The Australian, 9 hours ago
O'Farrell dodges fights at home The Australian, 9 hours ago
Editorial: A chance, a leaden effort The Daily Telegraph, 9 hours ago
5000 workers to go in NSW budget The Australian, 17 hours ago

End of sidebar. Return to start of sidebar.

But the move is expected to increase the anger among public servants, with thousands expected to rally tomorrow outside Parliament.
Workers will be offered voluntary redundancies and given a generous severance pay. Those who don't take up the offer face finding themselves in the unemployment queue, with Mr O'Farrell scrapping the previous government's no forced redundancy scheme and unattached list, which kept sacked public servants on the payroll for years.
Treasurer Mike Baird made no apologies for the cuts, saying the greatest driver of growth in the past decade had been employee-related expenses, which had increased 6.5 per cent each year.
Government wage increases have exceeded the private sector by 7.9 per cent. Half of the state's expenses goes towards wages, costing more than $29 million.
With privatisation of the ferry services, which will cost 100 jobs, Mr Baird warned he could go further by contracting prisons and road maintenance. By capping wages at 2.5 per cent, the government is expected to claw back $2 billion over four years.
"To underpin delivery of these savings, the O'Farrell government is prepared to offer around 5000 voluntary redundancies over the next four years, primarily to reduce the number of head office and back-room positions," Mr Baird said.