Gai Brodtmann (Canberra, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As usual under a coalition government, there is no good news for Canberra in this budget. On top of the 13,000 public servants that have already been axed, we saw thousands more jobs go last night: 1,200 just in Human Services, more than 400 in the ABS—that is 14 per cent of the agency—more than 200 in Immigration, more than 200 in Health and more than 150 in the AFP—the list goes on and on and on. Thousands more jobs are being cut on top of those 13,000.

The national institutions continue to be targeted, even though we are now cutting into vital organs. We are not cutting into flesh anymore. We are not cutting into bone. We are cutting into vital organs now with the national institutions. Fifteen jobs will be axed from the National Archives and three jobs at the War Memorial, on top of the cuts that have been going on over years and years under this coalition government.

I have gone searching for what is in the budget for Canberra, and there ain't much. There are cuts to schools, to health, to universities and to jobs—thousands and thousands more jobs on top of the 13,000 that this government has already cut from the Public Service. When will the Turnbull coalition government let up on Canberra? Give us a break. (Time expired)