Newman’s public sector job cuts

“Prime Minister, you cannot carry on for ever, squeezing the productive bit of the economy, in order to fund an unprecedented engorgement of the unproductive bit." – Daniel Hannan; “The devalued Prime Minister of a devalued Government”

Having worked in the exploration and mining industries for the best part of a working life, I, like many of those who tend to find employment somewhat transient have a great deal of sympathy for anyone losing their job for reasons other than being a useless prick.

Because of 14 years of government by progressives with their tendency to pad and featherbed the public service to keep unemployment down, and provide enough enforcers for all of those new regulations, the public sector has become unsustainably huge. Newman has had to bite the bullet and sack somewhere around 14,000 of them.

The result is demonstrations, and calls for Newman’s head by the unions and the federal government. From the rhetoric, it seems we are expected to believe that these people have reached the end of their productive lives and that this is a cruel and unusual state of affairs.

When the GFC hit and mining companies were expecting a massive drop in demand, thousands of workers and contractors were laid off so these companies could tighten their belts and ride out the storm. There was little sympathy for us other than the usual political platitudes offered at such events, but we grinned and bore it, went home and found new jobs. That’s what being employed is about.

It is time to stop squealing like stuck pigs and do the same as the private sector employees and go out and seek something other than a public sector sinecure to keep the wolf from the door.