BUSINESS SA PLAN WOULD DAMAGE STATE

17 May 2007

SA Unions has described Business SA's pre budget diatribe as dangerous and an attack on South Australia's social and economic health.

SA Unions Secretary, Janet Giles says Business SA has abandoned any notion of fairness and equity and is thinking only of itself and its own powerbase.

"Business SA's call to cut public service numbers to spark tax relief not only doesn't make sense, but it would jeopardise our state's future."

"This is one of the most breathtakingly short sighted pronouncements I've had the misfortunate to hear", Ms Giles says.

"South Australians pay taxes in order to have services delivered. Cutting the people employed to provide those services would undermine the social and economic fabric of our state."

"It's a safe bet that the firms Business SA is seeking tax relief for won't be stepping into fill the gaps created by the sacking of our public workforce. Public servants are assets who have an important role in the smooth running of our state and Business SA has to stop bashing them."

"Furthermore, it's an absurd notion that tax relief to business can only be achieved by sacrificing public servants. If Business SA wants to debate tax reform, fine, but let's have a serious, comprehensive debate, not a witch hunt against public servants dressed up as a silver bullet for business costs."

"Business SA's extremism is increasingly apparent. It has adopted a feral position on the federal IR laws, and not content with workers being stripped of their rights wants the balance pushed even further in favour of employers. it wants business absolved of its responsibility to injured workers and wants them stripped of support. And now it wants public servants slashed to bolster the profits of private companies."

"This rogue behaviour must be rejected and reasonable, rational, cool heads must prevail", Ms Giles says.