Like what you've read?

On Line Opinion is the only Australian site where you get all sides of the story. We don't
charge, but we need your support. Here�s how you can help.

  • Advertise

    We have a monthly audience of 70,000 and advertising packages from $200 a month.

  • Volunteer

    We always need commissioning editors and sub-editors.

  • Contribute

    Got something to say? Submit an essay.


 The National Forum   Donate   Your Account   On Line Opinion   Forum   Blogs   Polling   About   
On Line Opinion logo ON LINE OPINION - Australia's e-journal of social and political debate

Subscribe!
Subscribe





On Line Opinion is a not-for-profit publication and relies on the generosity of its sponsors, editors and contributors. If you would like to help, contact us.
___________

Syndicate
RSS/XML


RSS 2.0

Cutting the slack and saving the budget

By Mikayla Novak - posted Monday, 14 November 2011


The divesture of government assets played its part in reducing commonwealth government employment, but its effects were temporary as total public sector numbers once again increased over the previous decade to 243,700 people in June 2010.

A considerable number of these extra commonwealth public servants are solely engaged in policy advisory, administrative and regulatory roles that unnecessarily burden business with obligations inimical to the encouragement of entrepreneurship and a broader growth in the economy.

These burdens will only worsen when the carbon tax administrative machinery, to accompany the Climate Change Department, possibly becomes a reality next year.

Advertisement

And these trends do not fully account for the growth in outsourcing of government work to private sector contractors, a number of whom were themselves public servants retrenched during the period of APS rationalisation during the late 1990s.

Another factor which must be taken into account when considering the appropriateness of public service size is the increasing commonwealth policy influence over functions and services traditionally undertaken by the states.

This erosion in state policy autonomy has enabled the federal bureaucracy to mushroom in areas such as education and health, blurring financial and policy accountability to taxpayers and provoking intergovernmental blame games abhorred by most Australians.

Those arguing against retrenchment within the public service as a way to reduce the budget deficit effectively argue that the existing size and composition of the APS is optimal, and must be quarantined from further rationalisation.

It follows from this argument that the government should only seek to return the budget to surplus and pare back public debt by seeking explicit tax increases or gamble on future economic sunshine delivering additional government revenue.

There is little doubt that these propositions are instinctively supported by the current government as a matter of political principle.

Advertisement

This is because as domestic manufacturing industries continue their slow decline, the public sector unions have gradually displaced manufacturing unions as kingmakers within the wider trade union movement.

And spending cuts won't please public sector union members whose livelihoods depends on maintaining, and indeed growing, government expenditure.

Election survey statistics also show that the majority of public sector workers tend to vote for left of centre political parties, leaving the Gillard government to believe that it is best not to bite the political hand that feeds it.

For these reasons there is little surprise that the Australian federal government has shown so far that it reacts to calls to reduce the size of the commonwealth public sector in a manner similar to someone who endures a toothache.

But to overlook opportunities to consolidate the budget by cutting expenditure, including reducing public service numbers where the role of commonwealth government is inappropriate or no longer relevant, severely limits our options to regain fiscal credibility and sustain economic prosperity.

  1. Pages:
  2. 1
  3. Page 2
  4. All


Discuss in our Forums

See what other readers are saying about this article!

Click here to read & post comments.

19 posts so far.

Share this:
reddit this reddit thisbookmark with del.icio.us Del.icio.usdigg thisseed newsvineSeed NewsvineStumbleUpon StumbleUponsubmit to propellerkwoff it

About the Author

Mikayla Novak is a Research Fellow with the Institute of Public Affairs. She has previously worked for Commonwealth and State public sector agencies, including the Commonwealth Treasury and Productivity Commission. Mikayla was also previously advisor to the Queensland Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Her opinion pieces have been published in The Australian, Australian Financial Review, The Age, and The Courier-Mail, on issues ranging from state public finances to social services reform.

Other articles by this Author

All articles by Mikayla Novak

Creative Commons LicenseThis work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Article Tools
Comment 19 comments
Print Printable version
Subscribe Subscribe
Email Email a friend
Advertisement

About Us Search Discuss Feedback Legals Privacy