Services Spend Only Down Payments
The new spending is most welcome but a commitment to further investment is also needed as increasing demand for quality public services driven by population growth means the budget s spending initiatives can only be down-payments.

 

Dealing with massive work backlogs, staff will be overwhelmed and turnover in sensitive areas will undo any spending initiatives announcedunless further investment is flagged.

The budget surplus position and the $10 million WorkCover premium self gift indicates there s ample room for further public services spending.

Victoria's population is growing at 2% per year and tracked to almost sustain this same level into the forward estimates however staff increases are capped at 1%.

BUDGET HIGHLIGHTS:

• Victoria s economy is forecast to grow by 3.25 per cent in 2010-11
• budget operating surpluses: $872 million in 2010-11 and averaging $1.2 billion over the following three years.
• cutting the payroll tax rate to 4.9 per cent, effective from 1 July 2010
• cut WorkCover premiums by a further 3.5 per cent
• budget invests $9.5 billion in 2010-11 to deliver capital projects across Victoria
• budget invests $5.8 billion to continue to deliver the $38 billion Victorian Transport Plan
• provides a record $4 billion boost to our health system, new hospitals in regional Victoria
• 1,966 more frontline police over five years
• funding 55 extra youth workers to tackle the knife culture
• funding an extra 3,590 kindergarten places
• $109 million package of support for children with a disability or developmental delay,
• extra $30 million for people with autism, including new programs in schools,
• improvements to child protection ‚Äö√Ñ√¨ including the Out of Home Care system ‚Äö√Ñ√¨ providing an additional $66 million
• mental health services, providing an extra $73 million
• $105 million to implement the Government s land and biodiversity White Paper

BUDGET OVERSIGHTS DISCOVERED SO FAR:

• lack of funding for additional Housing staff to manage new stock funded by $1B infrastructure capital works spend last year
• no additional resources for court reporting where the delays in getting transcript undermines the court reform initiatives announced
• leaving PS wages policy at 2.5% despite all the economic forecasting showing growth and CPI and LPI being between 3% - 3.5% and Industrial Agreements expiring 2011
• no identifiable additional spending to implement Bushfire Royal Commission findings

 

KAREN BATT
CPSU State Secretary