The number of surplus employees under the Rann Government was now 275 and growing, and costing tax payers almost $20 million every year, Shadow Treasurer Rob Lucas said today.
“Minister Weatherill told Estimates Committee last week the number of surplus employees was now 275, rather than the previously announced 174 employees,” Mr. Lucas said.
“These are the same employees Minister Weatherill described as:
‘There are 400 people here that don’t have proper jobs that have been basically rattling around the Public Service, in many cases for a number of years. Are we to just let that roll along?’ (Jay Weatherill, 5AA, May 25 2006)
“These surplus employees have been caused in part by the massive blowout of 8,000 unbudgetted public servants.
“In the last four budgets, the Rann Government budgeted for an increase of about 1,000 public servants, but somehow ended up with 9,000! Official figures show the overwhelming number of these extra public servants were not teachers, doctors, nurses or police.
“Mr. Foley has been like the bloke who won X-Lotto five years in a row – he has just given up worrying about the day to day expenses and balancing the books. It doesn’t matter how big a blowout there is in public service numbers because his ‘X-Lotto’ of the GST and property taxes will always pay for it!
“Given the Rann Government’s budget announcement of cutting 1,600 public servants, there is no doubt the number of surplus employees is going to grow significantly.
“It is naïve to think that all of these public servants will leave through natural attrition.
“Mr. Foley’s ego is getting in the way of sensible financial management. He doesn’t want to admit to yet another broken promise too quickly by having to offer a TVSP scheme to cut the number of public servants,” Mr. Lucas said.
“However, it is now clear: unless a TVSP scheme is offered, the budget targets will not be met.”
