Hundreds of CPSU Vic members, supported by Victorian public sector unions rallied outside the offices of the Premier and the Treasurer, where Cabinet was meeting, to provide a public response to the Treasurers ambush announcement that 3,000 jobs are to be cut from the public service.

We rallied because the Treasurer didn’t bother to discuss the review or her decision to announce she expected cut 3000 jobs to be cut to a media outlet.

We rallied to make it clear and unequivocal to the Cabinet that what was done and the way it was done, does not wash with the public service workforce.

Unions from across the public sector attended to show that this behaviour is not acceptable and to stand up for our public services and importantly our members who deliver them.

We expected this Government to support public delivery of public services.

Instead, they have played the two classes of employees' card and fallen for the Treasury trick that deliberately spruiks the tired old public service bash rhetoric.

An employer that attacks its own employees and reverts to somehow blaming them for the cost blowouts in programs is cowardly and dishonest.

The Bailleau Government fell for this in 2011-2012 and they lost Government in 2014.

Yet it seems this Government has started to sing from the same song book.

Why is it that Governments see public servants as something to be costed rather than valued.

At her press conference the Treasurer announced she had engaged consultants to undertake a review of the VPS to look for so called “efficiencies”.

This is on top of the never-ending use of consultants across the Service to do VPS work at a significantly higher cost.

The first efficiency surely is staring government in the face - stop using consultants to contract out your thinking and our work.

It might be time to look at who government employs and understand what they do and its importance to the delivery of services to Victorians.

There are only about 8,000 roles across the state doing the planning, the policy work, project management, procurement, and of course payroll, supporting the Government’s legislative and implementation agenda.

But they are constantly subjected to being called “faceless bureaucrats” who aren’t frontline, and the community is led to think these jobs are expendable.

Everyone employed supports public service delivery.

Every job that goes undermines the government’s ability to deliver on its agenda and maintain quality service delivery.

There is not much benefit of holding the hose if no one is there to turn the tap on.

The pre-emptive announcement that the outcome of the review was a likely 3,000 jobs to be cut shows a real lack of appreciation of the connectivity between public service jobs.

These types of announcements destabilise and demoralise public service workplaces.

The Government should take the job cuts threat off the table.

The government should work constructively to protect the workforce and to maintain service delivery.

Otherwise, this week’s rally will not be the last time we gather.