Page 1239 - Week 04 - Wednesday, 29 March 2017
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Mrs Jones: A point of order—again.
MADAM SPEAKER: Mrs Jones, before you go to the point of order, can I ask Mr Pettersson to repeat the question because I think many were not able to hear it.
MR PETTERSSON: It would be my pleasure, Madam Speaker. Minister, how have Canberra workers and their families been affected by previous job cuts to the commonwealth public service and how does this contrast with ACT government’s approach?
MADAM SPEAKER: Minister.
Mrs Jones: Point of order.
MADAM SPEAKER: Mrs Jones.
Mrs Jones: My point of order is about whether the question is in order, because this is a question about the removal of some federal public servants. How does that relate directly to the portfolio of the minister being asked to answer the question when she has no jurisdiction over the ACT public service as a whole?
MADAM SPEAKER: Thank you, Mrs Jones. I heard in that answer it was comparing the policy framework to the ACT’s policy framework for ACT public servants, and I think—
Mrs Jones: But how does she have relevance to that?
MADAM SPEAKER: She has policy arrangements for industrial relations here in the ACT.
Mr Barr: The executive can determine who answers a question. It is up to us to determine who answers the question.
Mrs Jones: Based on the document—
Mr Barr: No, it is up to us to determine who answers the question.
Mrs Jones: at the time, is that correct?
MADAM SPEAKER: I have called the Minister for Workplace Safety and Industrial Relations to answer this question, and I have ruled it in order. Minister.
MS STEPHEN-SMITH: I thank Mr Pettersson for his additional question. Canberra, of course, is no stranger to job cuts thanks to federal Liberal governments. In 1996-97 in the first Howard budget their first priority was to slash the Australian public service by more than 30,000 jobs. Following the 2013 election the federal Liberals pursued a draconian policy of job cuts coupled with strict controls on wage growth and removal of work conditions. This contrasts with the ACT government
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