44 vacancies identified in Wide Bay Burnett area as first jobs to go under Springborg jobs purge

Deputy Premier Paul Lucas today identified the first 44 jobs most likely to go in the Wide Bay Burnett area under the Opposition’s plan to cut more than 700 local jobs from the public service over the next 12 months.

The jobs are current advertised vacancies for positions in schools and hospitals as well as State Government departments.

Deputy Premier Paul Lucas said: “These are the jobs that right now are on Lawrence Springborg’s chopping block.

“These are the jobs that are at serious risk – they are among the 12,000 jobs statewide that will be axed for the Opposition to find their $1 billion a year in budget cuts.

“The loss of these 44 jobs will have an immediate impact on the local economy – 44 pay packets roughly worth $2 million a year no longer being spent locally.

“Over the course of the next 12 months the number of job losses will grow to more than 700 – or more than 700 packets worth $35 million a year lost to the local economy, and less money being spent in local shops and small businesses.

“Mr Springborg has been trying to argue that frontline jobs and service delivery support jobs are safe from his natural attrition policy of not filling vacancies.

“But if that is so, then there’s absolutely no way he can achieve his billion dollars worth of budget cuts.

“Even if every administrative position remained unfilled, he would still fall more than $900 million short of his target.

“In other words, he will have no option to swing his jobs axe down hard on frontline and service delivery support positions.”

Mr Lucas said Mr Springborg’s promised budget cuts meant that every current vacancy in the public service and every future vacancy that arose would most likely remain unfilled.

“So far in this election campaign Labor has exposed Lawrence Springborg’s plans to slash jobs from vital public services under a policy that would devastate communities across Queensland.

“Mr Springborg’s jobs purge will results in massive job cuts across the state, with major cities and regional centres to bear the brunt of the cuts every year.

“In the Wide Bay Burnett area there will be more than 700 jobs lost in the first 12 months.

“Now we are able to identify the number of positions locally which are currently vacant and that in all likelihood will not be filled – starting from this weekend.

“These are 44 real jobs delivering vital services that will remain vacant.

“Apart from frontline jobs that will go, taking support staff away from public services will mean doctors and nurses doing the work of hospital cleaners, police chained to their desks by red tape, and teachers unable to do their jobs because they’re looking after administrative tasks.”

Media contact: Matthew Klar 0437 435 223