SENATOR KATY GALLAGHER
SHADOW MINISTER FOR FINANCE
SHADOW MINISTER FOR THE PUBLIC SERVICE
CHAIR OF THE SENATE SELECT COMMITTEE ON COVID-19
SENATOR FOR THE AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY
 
STEPHEN JONES MP 
SHADOW ASSISTANT TREASURER 
SHADOW MINISTER FOR FINANCIAL SERVICES 
MEMBER FOR WHITLAM

News today that more than 100 Australian Tax Office (ATO) jobs could be moved out of Geelong or lost altogether confirms yet again that the Morrison Government has no respect for public servants or the role that they perform.

This announcement is especially cruel at a time when ATO officials are playing a key role in the Australian Government’s response to COVID-19.

Uncertainty about where these public servants might be working or if their job will even exist at all in 12 months’ time is the last thing they need when they are working tirelessly in the public interest.  

Instead of throwing uncertainty into the mix for these tax office officials in Geelong, the Morrison Government should focus its attention on getting basic details right like how many Australians have actually accessed the JobKeeper scheme to-date.

This Government has form when it comes to cutting jobs in the APS.

In the last six years they have slashed almost 18,000 jobs from the public service, including 1,657 jobs in regional communities.

These job cuts deprive communities of vital employment opportunities and access to essential services.

Scott Morrison and Josh Frydenberg should dump this badly planned announcement and get its response to COVID-19 right.

WEDNESDAY, 27 MAY 2020