Palaszczuk Government stabilises DAF staff after LNP cuts

Published Wednesday, 25 May, 2016 at 11:35 AM

Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries
The Honourable Leanne Donaldson

The Palaszczuk Government has stabilised employee numbers at the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries after three years of cuts and disruption under the LNP.

“Since the election in 2015 the Palaszczuk Government has started the task of rebuilding our biosecurity capability and restoring stability to the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries so we can better support our producers,” Agriculture Minister Leanne Donaldson said.

“In contrast, the LNP is in denial about the severity of the cuts it made to support services for agricultural producers and to rural and regional services.”

Minister Donaldson said an answer prepared in response to a Question on Notice by the Member for Nanago had laid bare the scale of the cuts by the previous LNP administration.

The question asked Minister Donaldson to outline the total number of front-line employees employed by DAF on 31 January in each of the years from 2012 to 2016.

Minister Donaldson said the number of full-time equivalent positions in DAF had been slashed from 2589 to 1973 during the Newman-Nicholls Government.

“These cuts were part of the Newman Government’s slashing of 14,000 public service jobs.

“This included a cut of 26% in Biosecurity Queensland staff,” the Minister said.

“It is clear that such severe cuts to personnel and programs led to a reduced service for our food and fibre producers.

“No organisation can function to the same standard while losing almost a quarter of its staff.

“The Newman-Nicholls Government argued that it was cutting non-essential office workers but that is simply nonsense.

“The Human Resources statistics for the period between June 2012 and January 2015 under the LNP show a cut in frontline staff from 614 to 491 – a reduction of 20%.

“And the job cuts were most keenly felt in the bush.

“The Department lost 25.6% of its staff in Central Queensland, 33.79% in the North, 20.45% in the South and 30.66% in the South East.

“Nearly 9% of DAF’s staff in Brisbane CBD were dismissed under the Newman-Nicholls regime, but it is clear that it was in the regions where the axe was wielded with most devastating effect.”

ENDS

Media Contact:  0448 994 172