• Gutwein’s claims at odds with Australian Bureau of Statistics figures
• Treasurer desperately trying to pit public service workers against private sector
• Liberals should stop making up figures, scrap wages policy and negotiate in good faith
Treasurer Peter Gutwein is being dishonest with his claims about public service wages and Tasmanians should not believe his lies as he tries to pit public services workers against those from the private sector.
Labor Leader Rebecca White said that according to the latest available Australian Bureau of Statistics figures, Tasmanian public servants earn an average wage of $74,000.
“This is publicly available information compiled by the highly respected national statistician. It is not up for debate. It is a fact,” Ms White said.
“This morning, in the Parliament, Peter Gutwein misled the house with this outrageous statement that public servants are paid an average of $110,000.”

“The Government’s view is that our public servants deserve to be paid well and we do pay them very well, especially in comparison to the private sector. In Tasmania the average wage in the private sector is around $70 000. However, the average wage of public servants is around $110 000 – $40 000 more than the average wage of most other Tasmanians. In the main our public servants do fantastic work and we firmly believe that our hardworking public servants do deserve a pay rise. That is why we factored into the upcoming budget pay increases of 2 per cent each and every year.”
– Peter Gutwein, Question Time, 24 May 2018.
“Most of our public servants only dream of that sort of pay,” Ms White said.
“They work extremely hard delivering the vital services that our community relies on, while Peter Gutwein sits in his Ivory Tower talking down to them. Telling them they don’t need a wage rise.
“The Treasurer is attempting to pit private sector workers against our public sector workers as he commences his war on the hard working teachers, nurses, child safety staff and other public servants of Tasmania.
“The Treasurer should stop making things up, scrap his wages policy and negotiate with the public sector in good faith.”
Rebecca White MP Labor Leader 24 May 2018