PSA targets rural service crisis

Date: 06 February 2006

The decline in services to rural and regional NSW will be one of the key targets of the Public Service Association's 'Public Interest' campaign, launched today.

As part of the campaign, the PSA will conduct a series of Regional Impact Statements charting the decline in service delivery to the bush, following research showing 64 per cent of NSW voters want to see more staff in the regions.

The PSA will also convene town hall meetings in key regional centres in the lead-up to the next state election, where both sides of politics are proposing to slash public sector jobs; as well as a departmental audit of service delivery within the Department of primary Industry.

PSA general secretary John Cahill said concerns about service delivery in the bush were at the top of the public's agenda.

"The response from the public, even voters in the city, surprised us - they can clearly see the linkage between job cuts and the decline in services to rural NSW," Mr Cahill said.

"This backs the feedback from our members in the regions, who tell us that they stretched to the limit and that any further job cuts will lead to drop in services."

According to an Auspoll survey of NSW voters in key marginal seats, conducted for the PSA over summer:

• 41 per cent think there needs to be more staff in rural services, while 23 per cent think there needs to be "much more staff."
• the majority do not believe that the private sector deliver either better quality or more cost effective services than the public sector.
• jobs cuts work against the public interest and are only in the interest of big business.
• they would be less likely to vote for political parties who cut public sector jobs.

Mr Cahill said that over the coming 12 months, the PSA will campaign in the community to raise awareness of the impact of job cuts on service delivery across the state.

"We will be asking all politicians, regardless of their affiliation, to make a commitment to the delivery of services to rural NSW>

For further information

Contact:	John Cahill, General Secretary
Union:	Public Service Association of NSW
Phone:	02 9220 0982
Email:	psa@psa.asn.au
WWW:	http://psa.labor.net.au/

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