Legislative Council Tuesday 6 August, 2019

Ms FORREST question to the LEADER of the GOVERNMENT in the LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, Mrs HISCUTT

Wednesday, 17 July 2019 in the Mercury in an article titled: Public sector job cuts loom; Budget savings could cost 2200 posts, “Treasury are currently working with agencies to identify savings which will be further considered by the Government in coming weeks.”

1. What areas of savings have been identified;

2. What reporting of these savings or efficiency measures will be made; and

3. When will these reports be made publicly available?

ANSWER:

1. The Government continues to work with agencies to finalise the savings measures included in the 2019-20 Budget papers. In relation to the areas of savings, the Government has made it clear that the focus will be on expenditure such as           consultants, travel and advertising, vacancy control and natural employee attrition.

As an additional $15 million in returns from government businesses has been identified for the current financial year, the overall agency savings task that was announced in the Budget has been reduced to $35 million for 2019-20.

2. As stated in the 2019-20 Budget Papers, the Government has committed to the provision of an update on savings measures after the first quarter of the 2019-20 financial year and also in the 2019-20 Revised Estimates Report.

3. Refer above.