ALP baby plan: Concern over PS cuts

Date: 31 March 2004

The Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) has given the ALP's paid maternity announcement today a mixed reception.

While the union has welcomed the new policy to introduce the equivalent of 14 weeks paid maternity leave across the community, it has expressed concerns about the ALP's growing tendency to fund policy initiatives by reducing public sector employment.

CPSU Assistant National Secretary Margaret Gillespie said: "There is a growing sense of unease throughout the public sector about the ALP's pattern of announcing major restructures of Commonwealth agencies without providing details about employment, workload and service issues. As a result, public sector job insecurity is rising in the run up to the election".

Over the past few weeks the ALP has foreshadowed the abolition or restructure of a range of Commonwealth departments including the National Office of Information Economy (NOIE) and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission / Service (ATSIS/ATSIS).

Costings released with today's baby care proposal show that they intend to either abolish or cut another group of public service agencies including the Office of the Employee Advocate (OEA), the Australian Broadcasting Authority / Australian Communications Authority (ABA/ACA), the National Capital Authority, the Bureau of rural Science and others.

"We estimate that as many as 1,800 positions are now under a cloud," Ms Gillespie added.

"In our view, it is totally unacceptable for the ALP to make announcements such as the abolition of ATSIC/ATSIS without first putting forward details about the impact on jobs, staffing and services," Ms Gillespie said.

"Public sector workers could be forgiven for feeling they are becoming collateral damage in the battle for the Lodge," Ms Gillespie explained.

"We are calling on the ALP to make clear its commitment to properly resourcing the public sector. Today we have written to the Opposition Leader Mark Latham requesting a meeting to clarify several recent announcements that have the potential to impact on the employment and careers of many hundreds of CPSU members," said Ms Gillespie.

For further information

Contact:	Margaret Gillespie
Union:	CPSU
Phone:	1300 137 636
Contact Mobile:	0407 560 931

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