CSIRO STAFF CUTS – SUPPORTED BY LIBERALS, LABOR AND GREENS

The Independent Member for Denison, Andrew Wilkie, has discussed the Abbott Government’s cuts to CSIRO staff in Tasmania, and in particular the Labor and Greens’ remarkable decision to go along with it.

The recent Federal Budget cut $111.4 million from CSIRO and some 18 Tasmanians will lose their jobs. The cut is contained in the Appropriation Bills which Opposition Leader Bill Shorten and Greens Leader Christine Milne have said they will vote for.

“The cut to CSIRO is an appalling attack on Tasmania as a global centre of excellence for scientific research. It’s also a terrible blow to workers and their families, some of whom will probably now need to leave the state,” Mr Wilkie said.

“The Federal Budget is a miserable piece of work and an ideological crusade against everyone except corporations, miners and the Defence Force. The Liberal Party is justifiably being hammered for it by near on every section of the community, but Labor and the Greens are so far getting off scot-free for their decision to vote in favour of large chunks of it.

“Senator Milne claims that blocking the Budget would cripple government. This is simply misleading because the Government has the option of remedying aspects of the Budget, like the cut to CSIRO, and bringing it back to the Parliament to be debated and voted on again.

“Bill Shorten’s claim that Labor will not vote against the Appropriation Bills because it won’t use public servants as ‘human shields’ dodges the point. This Budget is a job killer so if he really wants to help workers he should stop it and vote against the Appropriation Bills.

“There are plenty of past examples where budgets have been delayed, in particular 1984, 1987 and 1996, without crippling government. Moreover many people are clamouring for an early election which is another possible outcome of blocking the Appropriation Bills.”
Andrew Wilkie, Independent Member for Denison