CPSU uses Premier’s own words to slam public service cuts
Victoria’s public sector union has lashed out at cuts to the public service in a newly released ad campaign using the Premier’s own words.
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Victoria’s public sector union has launched a scathing attack on the Andrews government, launching a new ad campaign using the premier’s own words to slam cuts to the public service.
The Community and Public Sector Union put a video out on Thursday playing multiple media appearances where Daniel Andrews criticises cuts to vital services.
It comes after the Herald Sun revealed the Department of Treasury and Finance secretary David Martine had written to departments to cut 10 per cent of their funding.
The CPSU estimates this could lead to 6000 job cuts if implemented across the public service.
The new video, which will air on television, online and be targeted to key postcodes includes Labor ads during the 2014 election campaign where Mr Andrews criticised the job cuts while Opposition Leader.
“When governments like the current one are all about cuts, all about cutting the things that matter most, people suffer,” he said at the time.
“I’ll never cut the things that families rely on.
“I’ve visited nearly every community in this state and I’ve never seen one that was better off because of cuts to services.”
The union then warns that 6000 jobs are at risk and lists public service professions, such as child protection, building inspectors and park rangers.
Listen to yourself, Dan. Don’t cut jobs” the 30-second advertisement then says.
The video is a significant escalation in the dispute between the union and the government as Victoria’s deals with a budget emergency.
Mr Andrews has repeatedly flagged the state is under significant pressure to balance its bottom line and pay off what it owes, with net debt expected to soar to $165bn and interest payments now equal to $10m a day.
But CPSU state secretary has lashed the proposal to cut public service funding to meet these demands.
She has criticised the government for spending $1bn on consultants over its eight years in government and said the state should be looking to delay some of its Big Build projects to find savings.
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