PUBLIC SECTOR PAY FREEZE

Ms JODIE HARRISON(Charlestown) (18:03:56):The Premier's announcement last week that public service wages would be frozen blindsided the more than 400,000 hardworking public servants across New South Wales. The term "wage freeze" is political misdirection on the part of this Government. It is, in real terms, a wage cut. That is 5,421 of my constituents in the Charlestown electorate. It is 1,884 educators, 2,270 health workers, 645 emergency service workers, police officers and community support workers.

These are people we rely onevery dayespecially in these extraordinary times. Across Newcastle and Lake Macquarie, 16,552 jobs have been slapped with a wage cut in real terms. Thatmeans the people employed in those roles willearnover $109million less than they would have otherwise. That is $109million that will not be pumped into the local economy. That is $109million that will not be spent in local businesses. That is $109million that will not be helping our economy to recover as we emerge from COVID-19 lockdowns. This real wage cut is nothing less than an act of rank economic vandalism on the part of this Government. At a time when the Government should be encouraging spending it is directly cutting real wages.

This is a Governmentthattrumpets its economic credentials, but in the nine years that the Liberal-Nationals Government has held power in New South Wales what have we seen? Privatisation has broken servicesthatmostvulnerable members of society relied on. Buses in my area have been privatised. Bone-deep cuts to public spending in areas like health have put more pressure on frontline workers. TAFE has been undermined, its worldclass status mortgaged to dodgy privatetraining providers. Ageing social housing properties have been left to rot,with tenantsignored as their homes decay. Countless flashy infrastructure projects have gone over budget while bread-and-butter infrastructure improvements like the much-needed upgrades to Hillsborough Road have been neglected.

These past monthsof crisis have been rightlyspent praising frontline service workers as heroes. While members of Parliament and senior bureaucrats have been safely able to conduct our work over Zoom, nurses were at the barricades against COVID-19. Teachers were forced toadaptquickly to online learning. Police, paramedics and fireyskept showing up and saving lives. Service NSW employees kept doing the quiet work that keeps this State running. When it comes time to actually acknowledge the importance of this work, what does this Government do? It slaps public servants with a real wage cut.The damage done by nine years of cuts, nine years of budget blowouts and nine years of ideologicallydriven policy havenow been cemented by this decision. The havoc wrought on the State's economy by COVID-19 will be made worse by this real wage cut toour frontline service workers.

The Treasurer's promise of a one-off $1,000 to frontline workers adds insult to very real economic injury.I met with some nurses earlier this week who expressed frustration at their treatment by this Government.So farAustralia seems to have dodged the worst of COVID-19. We have so far avoided the horrors experienced by countries like the United States of America, Great Britain and Italy. But in the early days there was no guarantee that this would be the case. Thosenurses still fronted up to work without being providedwithadequate personal protective equipment. They took the temperatures ofpeople visiting local hospitals. Hand sanitiser was strictly rationed, and there was not enough to go around. Nurses were understandably concerned. Some nurses were in high-risk categories for COVID-19 but they came to work anyway.

Nurses deserve better than a pay cut. Ambos deserve better. Teachers and police deserve better than a pay cut. The thousands of public sector employees across the Charlestown electorate deserve better than a pay cut. The local businessesthatrely on their spending capacity deserve better.This is a slap in the faceforCharlestown workers. It is a kick in the gutsforCharlestown businesses. It is simply not good enough.