Darren Churchill: Australian Democrats Campaigns

Bring Back Balance

ACT Democrats 2007

Media Release 22 November 2007

Democrats defend Public Service jobs

“Canberrans should expect Public Service cutbacks whether Liberal or Labor wins on Saturday” warned Australian Democrats candidate for Fraser, Darren Churchill.

Major newspapers today reported Rudd Labor’s commitment to take an axe to the Public Service. The Prime Minister, questioned at the National Press Club, avoided stating if the Liberals would do the same.

Mr Churchill warned on both ABC Breakfast Radio and Radio 2xx on Monday morning that he expects both Labor and Liberal to attack the Public Service.

“The big pork barrelling promises and huge tax cuts of both Liberal and Labor will have to be funded from somewhere or broken altogether. Howard’s track record is that he was Treasurer during the Lynch Razor gang of the early 1980s. And everyone remembers his assault on the Public Service in the late 1990s. Rudd has threatened the public service with his promised Razor Gang.”

“The Liberals hate the ACT because of the tendency to elect Labor members here. Labor take us for granted because their seats have such big margins. Public servants are workers too. They have families and mortgages just like any other worker”, said Mr Churchill

“The people of Fraser (and all Canberrans) need someone who will speak up for them. The answer is to look to the only party of the political centre, the Australian Democrats.”

“With such a well educated and socially progressive population, I’m surprised we haven’t elected a Democrat to one or both Houses long before now”

“We need social spending programmes: money for hospitals, schools, renewable energy and energy efficiency, and a national Paid Maternity Leave scheme. To do this we need to fund them by slowing the implementation of tax cuts and broaden the tax base by tightening up Capital Gains Tax and Fringe Benefits Tax”, Mr Churchill insisted.

“Attacking the public service might win them a few votes from those who don’t really understand Canberra, but an attack on the public service here means an attack on Canberrans jobs and Australians services. People should register their distrust of the other parties by voting Australian Democrats in both Fraser and the Senate.” Mr Churchill concluded.

Darren Churchill

Australian Democrats candidate for Fraser

Darren.Churchill@act.democrats.org.au

0412 196 473

Tags: Economic Policy, Local, Media Releases, Public Service Cuts (Razor Gang)

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