AAP

LNP attacks consultants, vows public service changes

AAP logo AAP 15.06.2023 10:24:30 John Crouch
Queensland's Leader of the Opposition David Crisafulli wants to cut consultancy spending.

A Liberal National government would take an axe to the Queensland government's "obsession" with consultants in a wider public service overhaul.

Opposition Leader David Crisafulli also used his budget reply to promise to make real-time health data available, establish a social enterprise investment fund, make changes to housing funding and appoint a victims of crime commissioner, as he accused the government of failing to deliver despite billions in extra revenue.

He accused the Palaszczuk government of having an obsession with the big consulting firms and of hiding behind "an ever-growing wall of consultant reports to justify blowout after blowout" of government projects.

It had spent at least $423 million on the big four consulting firms in the past five years, or $234,000 a day, the LNP leader told parliament on Thursday.

Mr Crisafulli said such spending violated the Coaldrake review, which was critical of the government's over-reliance of consultants.

He said "this is a line in the sand" and promised to reduce the reliance on consultants and "empower the public service like never before".

Mr Crisafulli said he would boost the public service by improving procurement processes, redirecting money away from the big consulting firms firms back into the public service, and requiring consultants to show how they would build capacity in the public service before being awarded work.

In other pledges, the opposition leader promised to improve transparency in the health system by making health data available in real time within 100 days of the election.

Mr Crisafulli said a victims' commissioner would be appointed within a month of taking office, where victims of crime could raise concerns about how their case has been handled.

He also said the government's Housing Investment Fund would be only be used to deliver new social housing stock to help drive down supply pressures.

The Palaszczuk government accused the LNP of lacking credibility about the use of consultants, with Deputy Premier Steven Miles saying the Newman government spent millions on the big four firms to sell off assets and de-amalgamate councils.

He said the LNP gave public servants "a hell of a lot of things to fear" the last time it was in power.

The opposition's reply came after Treasurer Cameron Dick announced a $12.3 billion surplus for 2022/23 and a raft of cost of living measures with the help of bumper resource revenue from the state's new progressive royalties regime.

Mr Dick called on Mr Crisafulli to say whether he would keep the state's progressive royalties regime or what he would cut without the $8 billion in coal revenue it provided.

"Which frontline workers will be sacked? What assets will be sold? And how will the current leader of the opposition deliver what Queensland needs when he's cutting an additional $10 billion in infrastructure?" he said.

jeudi 15 juin 2023 13:24:30 Categories: AAP

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