Paterson puts voluntary redundancies back on the table for public service cuts
Asked about the details of the Coalition’s plan to shrink the public service by 41,000 workers over five years, James Paterson says there could be voluntary redundancies to meet the figures.
Earlier this week, the opposition leader backflipped on the public service policy, and the plan to force public service staff to work from the office. Dutton had said there would be no forced redundancies.
Paterson tells RN Breakfast:
We will cap the size of the Australian public service and reduce the numbers back to the levels they were three years ago through natural attrition and voluntary redundancies … Our policy is always based on natural attrition and voluntary redundancies. That’s what our costings are based on. That’s what we’ve sought advice from the PBO on, and that’s why we’ll achieve the savings once it’s mature, of $7bn a year.
Asked why the Coalition can’t say exactly which departments will be most affected by the cuts, Paterson then goes back to saying the cuts will come from natural attrition and a hiring freeze:
Because it’s a process of natural attrition and a hiring freeze, what that means is that as people leave the public service, if they’re not in a frontline service role, they won’t be replaced, and so over time, those numbers will come down.
Key events
Complaints have been raised against Liberal candidate for Bennelong Scott Yung, for handing out Easter eggs to students at a primary school in his electorate.
Yung handed out eggs outside Lane Cove Public School, leading to the school’s principal officially raising concerns.
The NSW department of education is monitoring the matter.
The department told Guardian Australia in a statement:
It is unacceptable for any member of the public to hand out Easter Eggs, lollies or any other consumable to children outside a school.
A spokesperson for the Liberal party told Guardian Australia, Yung was in a public space and offered the chocolate “with parents’ permission”.
Mr Yung was speaking with local parents in a public space about the impact of the cost of living crisis on families…
While speaking to the parents he offered their kids Easter chocolate eggs, with parents’ permission, wishing them a happy Easter.
Sarah Basford Canales
Peter Dutton is in Perth this morning for a leadership forum hosted by the West Australian newspaper and will deliver a keynote speech shortly.
The opposition leader was greeted by business leaders and politicians at the Crowne Plaza in Perth, including the new state opposition leader, Basil Zempilas.
Among the crowd were Dutton’s colleagues, senators Michaelia Cash, Bridget McKenzie and Susan McDonald.
The event is opened by the newspaper’s editor-in-chief, Chris Dore, who delivered an eyebrow-raising sermon. Dore spent the first four minutes of his speech repeating characterisations of Dutton.
Mr Albanese is match fit, super confident and shameless in mocking and monstering his opponent … and frankly, Mr Dutton has, at times, looked a bit punch drunk since the beginning of the campaign… in the words of the great 90s philosopher, Kurt Cobain, Mr Dutton, here we are now, entertain us.
It wouldn’t be an Anthony Albanese press conference without the medicare background and a tour of a health facility.
And he did just that this morning – here’s some pics we have of the PM’s day on the trail so far.
Albanese says Coalition’s fuel efficiency stance another policy reversal, “non-sensical”
Anthony Albanese says Peter Dutton’s confirmation that the Coalition will keep the fuel efficiency standards but remove the penalty for breaching them is “another change” in his policy, and will nullify the incentive for the standards.
The Coalition argues the changes will make high emitting cars, such as the Toyota Hilux or Rav-4, cheaper, and says electric vehicles already have incentives in Australia, such as being exempt from fuel tax.
Albanese says:
This is another change in policy. [Dutton] said he’d get rid of it. Now, he said that he’ll change something that is essentially the incentive for the policy to be implemented. So there’s no incentive, but it’s another change in policy. Let’s be clear, there were before this legislation was passed, only two countries in the world that did not have fuel standards, Australia, and Russia, under Vladimir Putin.
It’s a nonsensical policy that Mr Dutton has came up with.
Australia does ‘not sell arms to Israel’, Albanese says
Reacting to reports by the ABC that the Israeli military has tested an advanced weapon made by a Canberra-based defence supplier, Albanese says the government does “not sell arms to Israel”.
We do not sell arms to Israel. I’m aware of the report that you referred to. We looked in this matter. The companies confirmed with the department of defence the particular system was not exported from Australia. Australia does not export arms to Israel.
The Greens have accused the government of exporting parts that have been used in lethal weapons in Israel.
Albanese: ‘There are interested parties’ for the port of Darwin
The government is “prepared to use compulsory acquisition powers”, but Anthony Albanese says there are interested partiesthe government is negotiating with to buy the port of Darwin.
The port, which was sold on a 99-year lease to Chinese company Landbridge in 2015, has been a political thorn in the side of the federal government.
Albanese says:
We certainly are looking for a private buyer, as I’ve said, and there is interest … We won’t go through commercial negotiations and the interested parties, but there are interested parties here in the port of Darwin, if we can secure an arrangement and a transfer of ownership back to Australian control in an orderly way, without Commonwealth intervention and compulsory acquisition, we will do so.
Earlier, Albanese was asked about a request when he was infrastructure minister and before the port was leased, by the NT government to upgrade it. He was asked if that had an impact on the NT government’s decision to lease the port.
Albanese says he doesn’t remember the territory infrastructure minister at the time, and says “no”, that it wouldn’t have had an impact.
Albanese ‘confident’ Congress knows Aukus is in US’ national interest
On to questions, and Albanese is asked about Elon Musk being called in to review US shipbuilding capacity.
Albanese says he’s “confident” that Aukus will prevail, as it has significant support across the US Congress.
I’m confident about Aukus because I’ve had those first-hand discussions with the President of the United States, and also with more than 100 members of Congress, in the Senate during my state visit to the United States. I’m also confident that people, when they make an assessment, know that this is in Australia’s national interest, but it’s also in the national interest of the United States.
Asked about the tariffs, and whether the current caretaker mode will affect Australia’s ability to negotiate with the US in the short term, Albanese says:
That, of course, is a factor. That’s just a reality, but it doesn’t mean that we can’t continue to engage, and we are continuing to engage with the United States on a daily basis. I welcome the President’s comments overnight.
Katy Gallagher: As many as 500 NT public servants could lose jobs under Coalition
Labor says up to 500 public service workers are at risk in the NT under the coalition.
Katy Gallagher is bringing the fight about the Coalition’s proposed public service job cuts to the press conference.
She says James Paterson’s comments on RN Breakfast this morning that there could be voluntary redundancies means there will be “sackings”.
Here in Darwin, they’re a pretty large workforce, well over 2,000 public servants across the Northern Territory. And if Peter Dutton has his way with his 20% cut to the public service, that will mean around 500 jobs will go from the NT.
This morning on [the] radio, Senator Paterson has said there will be redundancies in the public service. So this rubbish that it’s all going to be found by attrition, has been put to bed today. It is actually redundancies, which means sacking of public servants.
She attacks the Coalition for not saying where those jobs will be cut.
Albanese and ministers visit NT to promote Labor’s health care record
Anthony Albanese is with finance and public service minister Katy Gallagher, aged care minister Anika Wells, and minister for Indigenous Australians and NT senator Malarndirri McCarthy.
No surprises here that they’re speaking at a medicare urgent care clinic (this time in Palmerston), spruiking Labor’s health record and investments in the sector.
Albanese: rate of workers leaving aged care sector slowing dramatically
The prime minister is speaking in Darwin this morning, with a $60m pledge for aged care beds.
This year, wages for aged care workers also rose, with $2.6bn earmarked in the latest federal budget to pay for that.
Albanese says these changes are improving the sector and helping to retain workforce numbers.
What the royal commission found was that unless we addressed those issues, we simply wouldn’t have a workforce. People who are leaving the workforce, who are dedicated professionals, dedicated to caring for older Australians, giving them the respect and dignity that they need in their later years, but they simply couldn’t afford to stay in those jobs, and they were leaving the sector. What we have now is the leaving rates are dropping dramatically.
Listen to the Full Story to hear how the Greens might work with a Labor minority government
The Greens played a pretty major role at times during this term, and could play an even bigger role if Labor is forced into a minority government (as some polls have predicted).
We know the party has been pushing significant environmental reforms, and advocating for adding dental to medicare.
So how exactly would leader Adam Bandt work with Labor in a minority government?
Full Story’s Reged Ahmad and our political reporter Josh Butler spoke with Bandt (trust me, it’s worth the listen):
Paterson puts voluntary redundancies back on the table for public service cuts
Asked about the details of the Coalition’s plan to shrink the public service by 41,000 workers over five years, James Paterson says there could be voluntary redundancies to meet the figures.
Earlier this week, the opposition leader backflipped on the public service policy, and the plan to force public service staff to work from the office. Dutton had said there would be no forced redundancies.
Paterson tells RN Breakfast:
We will cap the size of the Australian public service and reduce the numbers back to the levels they were three years ago through natural attrition and voluntary redundancies … Our policy is always based on natural attrition and voluntary redundancies. That’s what our costings are based on. That’s what we’ve sought advice from the PBO on, and that’s why we’ll achieve the savings once it’s mature, of $7bn a year.
Asked why the Coalition can’t say exactly which departments will be most affected by the cuts, Paterson then goes back to saying the cuts will come from natural attrition and a hiring freeze:
Because it’s a process of natural attrition and a hiring freeze, what that means is that as people leave the public service, if they’re not in a frontline service role, they won’t be replaced, and so over time, those numbers will come down.
James Paterson: Coalition would ‘seek advice’ about 2035 emissions target
James Paterson, the Coalition’s campaign spokesperson, joins RN Breakfast after the treasurer.
Overnight the opposition announced it would scrap the penalties on the vehicle efficiency standards, and Sally Sara asked, why bother keeping the standards if there’s no penalty?
We strongly support choice for Australians when it comes to the car that they want to buy that’s suitable for them and their family. We think the uptake of EV is a good thing … there already are pretty powerful incentives to buy EV in the system, for example, you don’t pay fuel tax, which funds the road infrastructure that we all share.
We don’t support taxing people who want to choose a car that’s suitable for their family needs.
On emissions more broadly, Sara asks whether the Coalition will commit to 2035 targets.
Yesterday, the Coalition’s energy spokesperson, Ted O’Brien, left the door open to reducing Australia’s 2030 target, and potentially leaving the Paris agreement.
Paterson, like O’Brien yesterday, says the Coalition would get advice:
We would seek advice about the best achievable target for 2035 and we remain absolutely committed to zero emissions by 2050 consistent with our Paris agreement obligations.
