Roads And Traffic Authority
ROADS AND TRAFFIC AUTHORITY
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Ms MACHIN (Port Macquarie) [5.50]: I wish to devote my statement to clarification of certain matters that affect the Port Macquarie electorate and the town of Port Macquarie in particular. Recently announced changes to the Roads and Traffic Authority involved statewide restructuring and a downsizing of about 2,000 jobs. That unhappy position was not taken lightly by the Government but has been forced on it by these difficult economic times. Originally the Port Macquarie office of the RTA was scheduled to be downgraded essentially to a works office. At present it is a divisional office employing about 56 people in Port Macquarie. At the time the changes were first being mooted a number of my colleagues, in particular the honourable member for Oxley, formerly the honourable member for Port Macquarie, other National Party members, and I suggested to the RTA, through the Minister, who has been most co-operative in this whole exercise, that it should decentralise more widely rather than only in places such as Newcastle and Wollongong. That proposal was examined. As a result, towns such as Port Macquarie have been the recipients of the benefit - and I emphasise the word benefit - of these changes. However, if one believed the negative press that occurs frequently in Port Macquarie or if one listened to the comments of those with their own political agenda, one would think that the Government was about to close the RTA office in Port Macquarie.
The Government is upgrading the Port Macquarie divisional office to a regional office. Port Macquarie will be the regional centre and staff employed there will be increased by a net 19 positions. Those 19 positions are fairly specialised jobs. The RTA is bringing 40 jobs from Newcastle to Port Macquarie. Some jobs in Port Macquarie will be abandoned but the net increase will be 19. Those 40 specialised positions from Newcastle will bring 40 salaries at a higher rate, which it is estimated will bring about three-quarters of a million dollars to Port Macquarie each year. That is not to be sneezed at. I should have thought that everyone in town including the unions would say, "Good on you, Wal" to the Minister for decentralising in this way and for upgrading the status of the Port Macquarie office. Currently the office has 56 positions. As a regional office that number will increase to 75 - an increase of 19 jobs. The people who will be affected when sections of the Port Macquarie office or its functions are transferred have expressed understandable concern. Some staff members will have the option of being redeployed but, given the present reduction in the total work force, employment opportunities are not great. Jobs will be coming out of Newcastle and the people in those positions will have the choice of coming with the job. However, it is anticipated that many of those people, understandably, will choose to stay where they are and not uproot their families and move. Therefore, a number of job opportunities in those positions will be available for people in Port Macquarie if they have the necessary qualifications.
The people who are affected will know more about their position after 8th May. The period of limbo, though regrettable, was requested by the staff association, which asked the RTA for an extension of a few weeks until after 8th May so that it could have a closer look at the details of the proposed changes and make recommendations and suggestions about the restructuring after that date. Any person in Port Macquarie who is affected by the proposed restructuring has an open invitation to come to see me, their local member, to assist them. I am sure that the Government will assist them to find suitable positions or to make some arrangement that will suit their particular circumstances. I should point out that the Government does not have a policy of compulsory or forced redundancy, though critics in the media and elsewhere give the impression that the Government wants to sack people. The Government has not sacked anyone in New South Wales. According to the unemployment statistics quarter after quarter, New South Wales is ahead in the ratings Australia-wide, contrary to claims that
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the Government is creating unemployment by reducing jobs through restructuring.
Mr Griffiths: There are 31,000 new jobs.
Ms MACHIN: That shows that the Government is managing the State in the right way. The critics who have been running around town saying the Government is sacking people are wrong and misleading and are unnecessarily putting the wind up their own colleagues. Those critics should be congratulating the Government for improving facilities in Port Macquarie. [Time expired.]
Mr GRIFFITHS (Georges River - Minister for Justice) [5.55]: I congratulate the honourable member for Port Macquarie for so clearly bringing the real situation in Port Macquarie to the attention of honourable members. The honourable member for Port Macquarie continues to be vigorous and competent in her representation of the Port Macquarie electorate. As the honourable member said, the Government is always saddened by any need to downsize caused by the Federal Government having taken $1 billion from this State over the past four years. But even under that tremendous burden the Government has managed New South Wales so effectively that this State now has a 9.4 per cent rate of unemployment, the lowest in Australia. That achievement is incredible in the face of all the adversities heaped on the Government by Canberra. As the honourable member for Port Macquarie has said, there will be no forced redundancies under the Government, which is all about people and families.