The Liberal government‘ latest threat that blocking the wage freeze is to vote against Supply contradicts their earlier commitment to not slip the Crown Employees (Salaries) Bill 2014 in as part of the State Budget legislative package, Greens Leader and Treasury spokesperson Kim Booth MP said.
“The Premier and the Treasurer cannot have it both ways. They cannot reassure people before the Budget that the wage freeze Bill will not be a cognate Bill and part of that package, and then turn around and try and intimidate MPs by asserting that to vote against the Bill they promoted as separate and distinct, as now threatening Supply,” Mr Booth said.
“The wage freeze Bill was tabled as stand alone legislation, it was not presented as a cognate Bill to the Consolidated Fund Bill, so they are in no legislative sense connected. Just like any other piece of legislation put before the Parliament the wage freeze Bill will survive or fall based upon its merits, as it should do.”
“First we had the blackmail that without the wage freeze, a further 500 public sector workers would get the sack, despite the fact that appears to be in contradiction of the Liberal’s commitment to no forced redundancies.”
“When that didn’t seem to scare MPs back into obedience, then we get the nonsense that voting against the wage freeze Bill is somehow voting to block Supply. This is an insult to common sense.”
“This is the behaviour of petulant children, who see that the first bribe or threat didn’t work, so in a fit of pique they up the ante.”
“This is not leadership, and it is not on for the Premier or the Treasurer to resort to making up such nonsense in an attempt to intimidate their parliamentary colleagues from debating and voting as they believe is appropriate.”
“Cleary under this Hodgman majority government there is no appetite for debate of ideas based upon merit, or diversity of opinion.”
“It is time Mr Hodgman and Mr Gutwein pull their heads in, and actually start to listen to the valid concerns arising from parliamentary debate and the community, instead of this ridiculous hysterical attempt to stomp down dissent,” Mr Booth said.