❓ Mr. Norberger questions the Treasurer on the implementation of the Liberal-National government's public sector wages policy and its comparison to other states. The Treasurer defends the policy as necessary to control expenditure and moderate wage growth.
AnsweredQoN 149Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
PUBLIC SECTOR — WAGES POLICY
149. Mr J. NORBERGER to the Treasurer:
Can the Treasurer please update the house on the Liberal–National
government —
Several opposition members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order!
Mr J. NORBERGER : Mr Speaker; I will start again. Can the
Treasurer please update the house on the Liberal–National government's
implementation of the new public sector wages policy and how it compares with
other Australian states?
149. Mr J. NORBERGER to the Treasurer:
Can the Treasurer please update the house on the Liberal–National
government —
Several opposition members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order!
Mr J. NORBERGER : Mr Speaker; I will start again. Can the
Treasurer please update the house on the Liberal–National government's
implementation of the new public sector wages policy and how it compares with
other Australian states?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member
for the question. As the member knows, the key to recurrent expenditure in
government is wages. They represent somewhere between 40 to 60 per cent of the
cost, so in order to control expenditure we have to control wages, conditions,
positions and numbers. When we came to government, the wages bill was growing
at over 10 per cent a year and it continued growing very rapidly. There were
reasons for that. We increased wages significantly for teachers and police. If
members remember, during that time, wages in Western Australia were very high;
in fact, across the board they were some of the highest in the world. I was
told that workers in McDonald's in Western Australia are the highest
paid in the world.
Mr F.M. Logan : Sounds like a whopper!
Dr M.D. NAHAN : The member has the wrong firm! He obviously
goes to hamburger joints a lot.
The public sector had
to match those wages. The member may remember that when we first came to
government, there was a shortage of teachers and each year there was difficulty
getting enough teachers in the classrooms and enough people to study teaching.
There was evidence that teachers, particularly middle-aged and very mature
ones, were going off to work in the mines. It was the same with police and
staff in Western Power and other areas.
Mr P.B. Watson interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for Albany, I call you to order for the third time.
Dr M.D. NAHAN : We had to match wages. We have matched
wages and most of our public servants are the highest paid in the nation and
they receive excellent conditions. Going forward, the task is to moderate that
growth to inflation, and that is what the wages policy does. It is not easy,
but it is the correct thing to do, and it is happening in the rest of the
economy too. We will keep wage rises to 2.5 per cent or the inflation rate. We
passed through this house a wages reform bill—the Workforce Reform Bill
2013—which is in the upper house now. I might add that members opposite
spoke strongly about and voted against that bill. When opposition members stand
up and pontificate and complain about the government's cost growth or
debt levels, the member for Joondalup should remind them that when they had a
chance to stand up for good fiscal policy, they rejected it.
for the question. As the member knows, the key to recurrent expenditure in
government is wages. They represent somewhere between 40 to 60 per cent of the
cost, so in order to control expenditure we have to control wages, conditions,
positions and numbers. When we came to government, the wages bill was growing
at over 10 per cent a year and it continued growing very rapidly. There were
reasons for that. We increased wages significantly for teachers and police. If
members remember, during that time, wages in Western Australia were very high;
in fact, across the board they were some of the highest in the world. I was
told that workers in McDonald's in Western Australia are the highest
paid in the world.
Mr F.M. Logan : Sounds like a whopper!
Dr M.D. NAHAN : The member has the wrong firm! He obviously
goes to hamburger joints a lot.
The public sector had
to match those wages. The member may remember that when we first came to
government, there was a shortage of teachers and each year there was difficulty
getting enough teachers in the classrooms and enough people to study teaching.
There was evidence that teachers, particularly middle-aged and very mature
ones, were going off to work in the mines. It was the same with police and
staff in Western Power and other areas.
Mr P.B. Watson interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for Albany, I call you to order for the third time.
Dr M.D. NAHAN : We had to match wages. We have matched
wages and most of our public servants are the highest paid in the nation and
they receive excellent conditions. Going forward, the task is to moderate that
growth to inflation, and that is what the wages policy does. It is not easy,
but it is the correct thing to do, and it is happening in the rest of the
economy too. We will keep wage rises to 2.5 per cent or the inflation rate. We
passed through this house a wages reform bill—the Workforce Reform Bill
2013—which is in the upper house now. I might add that members opposite
spoke strongly about and voted against that bill. When opposition members stand
up and pontificate and complain about the government's cost growth or
debt levels, the member for Joondalup should remind them that when they had a
chance to stand up for good fiscal policy, they rejected it.
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