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Download AudioThe Public Service Association is fighting back against Chris Luxon’s claim of a bloated bureaucracy.
The National Party leader has lined up cuts in the number of public servants and consultancies as a way to fund election policies like an early childhood tax credit.
PSA national secretary Duane Leo says it’s insulting to the many public servants who are in the front line of the Cyclone Gabrielle response.
He says rather than make crowd-pleasing attacks, Mr Luxon needs to say what services he will cut.
“Are those cuts going to come in community probation? Are they going to be prison officers? – these public servants keep our prisons secure and out communities safe. Are these cuts going to come to our public servants working with farmers to rid them of animal diseases and protect our primary industries? Is it customs or biosecurity, scientists helping us prepare for future pandemics? The Ministry of Social Development supporting vulnerable New Zealanders? We just don’t know,” Mr Leo says.
He says claims of bloat don’t stack up when New Zealand’s public service is compared with its counterparts in Australia and the United Kingdom.
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