Allan government defies parliamentary order to release Silver Review into how to restructure Victoria’s public service

The Allan government has ignored a parliamentary order to release a review into how to restructure the state’s public service which contains a blueprint for thousands of public sector job cuts.

The Allan government has defied a parliamentary order to release its blueprint for thousands of public job sector cuts.

Almost two months after receiving the Silver Review into how to restructure the public service to find billions of dollars in savings, the government is keeping the report secret.

It was due on Tuesday to table the report in parliament, after the Legislative Council passed a motion forcing it to do so.

But despite vowing to release the report, at a time of its own choosing, the government said to do so now would reveal both a “deliberative processes of cabinet” and “high-level deliberative processes of the executive government.”

Jacinta Allan has not made public the Silver Review. Picture: Josie Hayden

Leader of the opposition in the Legislative Council David Davis slammed the secrecy.

“It is clear that the Allan Labor Government and the Treasurer will not bite the hard policy bullet and release the secret Silver Report,” he said.

“In fact, what the Treasurer has done is kick the release date six months down the road to cover up her cuts including hard cuts to frontline services.

“It is time the Allan Labor government and the Treasurer came clean on their secretive Silver Review. Victorians are entitled to know what the government’s plans are, the rating agencies are entitled to know what the government’s plans are.

“The Treasurer appears confused and resistant to releasing the two copies of the review undertaken by Helen Silver.

“It defies reason and good practise for the Treasurer to claim executive privilege on both the April and June copies of the review given these decisions are being made and frontline services are being cut.”

Victoria’s 55,000-strong public sector unions remains braced for a slash and burn restructure of government departments the government says will see up to 3,000 jobs lost.

However it has been estimated up to 12 per cent of the workforce, closer to 6,500 workers, could be axed in the major overhaul.

Originally published as Allan government defies parliamentary order to release Silver Review into how to restructure Victoria’s public service