Prime Minister Anthony Albanese claims Peter Dutton's plans to cut federal public service jobs would have a “devastating impact” on Canberra and all Australians. Video by ABC News
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00:00ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr says the Coalition's plan to cut 41,000 public servants from Canberra
00:08would mean a prolonged depression for the area and surrounding suburbs.
00:12Do you agree with that assessment or do you think it's a bit overblown?
00:14No, you bet it would.
00:16It would have more, I won't say more importantly, it would have a devastating impact on Canberra.
00:23But I'll tell you what I'm more worried about, the impact it would have on Australians,
00:30the impact it would have on Australian veterans who would go back to waiting
00:35and in some cases the men and women in uniform who served our country not getting their entitlements.
00:42I'll tell you the impact it would have on our defence and national security
00:46because there are around 68,000 public servants in Canberra.
00:5141,000, you get rid of them.
00:55Where does he think Services Australia runs its central offices from
01:00to provide support for Australians in emergency funding after there's been a natural disaster?
01:05Where does he think the people who run our pension system work?
01:11Where does he think on national security, ASIO, ACES, the Australian Security Intelligence Service,
01:19the Department of Defence, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade,
01:24the Australian Signals Directorate that work on cyber security issues?
01:30Where does he think these people are?
01:32I'll give him the hint.
01:33When he goes from Parliament House to go off to the airport
01:37where he wants to be able to fly to his home in Kirribilli House,
01:41the building that's in front of him, in Russell, is full of Canberra public servants.
01:49The buildings to the left, not breaking secrets here, ASIO.
01:55I've been to all of them.
01:57I would suspect that he's been perhaps to some of them.
02:02I'm not sure where he thinks Operation Sovereign Borders runs from,
02:05but it doesn't run from Gosford, with respect to Gosford.
02:09It runs from Canberra.
02:12This would have a devastating impact on gutting the capacity of the Australian government
02:20to serve the Australian people.
02:22And it's just one example of how they are just unfit.
02:28You know, he has had three years to prepare for an election.
02:32What I did as opposition leader for three years
02:36was doing the first budget reply, childcare, fully costed.
02:41We've now implemented that.
02:43The Housing Australia Future Fund announced in a budget reply,
02:47funded a plan to go forward.
02:50This mob changed their minds on a day-to-day basis.
02:56And I'll make this point.
02:57We do live in an uncertain world.
02:59In an uncertain world, where there is volatility,
03:03the last thing you need is a volatile government
03:07that can't agree on its own positions on a day-to-day basis,
03:12that thinks that getting angry and muscling up
03:17is the way that you engage in diplomacy,
03:20that is prepared to verbal leaders of other countries
03:26or the head of the Reserve Bank.
03:30You know, this mob are just not ready for government.
03:35And I hope that that is seen by Australians
03:38in the lead-up to Saturday's election.
03:41Thank you very much.