There has been some misreporting about the 1,000 FTE reduction referred to in yesterday’s Budget Risks Report.

As the report makes clear, in the absence of other savings this 1,000 FTE reduction is already implicitly contained within the budget and forward estimates. They are Labor and the Greens’ job cuts, not ours.

This is because while in the 2011/12 budget Labor and the Greens committed to a reduction of 1,700 FTEs, to date the reduction has been less than 700 FTEs.

Our commitment of a further reduction of 500 FTEs has not changed.

Peter Gutwein, Treasurer