Australia – Queensland – Job Cuts ‘probably lower than 15,000’

The total number of jobs to be cut from Queensland’s public sector is likely to be lower than 15,000, Premier Campbell Newman says.

In the lead up to next month’s budget, Mr Newman and senior ministers have repeatedly said they were aiming to keep the number of lost jobs below 20,000.

Mr Newman, who yesterday indicated the budget had been finished, said today about 4000 jobs had been cut so far – representing a 2 per cent reduction to the public service – and suggested total losses would be limited to about 15,000.

“It will be well under 20 [thousand],” he told reporters.

“I think it’s going to be much lower than 20, and probably lower than the 15 you’ve just quoted. But look, that’s as much as I can give people at the moment.”

Treasurer Tim Nicholls will deliver the Liberal National Party government’s first budget on September 11 and Mr Newman said the final job cut number would be released “on or by budget day”.

“By budget day, everything will be out there, it will be clearly defined what’s going to happen, and I think people will then see that there has been a lot of scaremongering, sadly, by the union movement,” Mr Newman said…

via ‘Probably lower than 15,000’: Newman lowers job cut expectations.