Government Workers in Wellington Are Not ‘Front Line’
9 APRIL 2014

Responding to the Minister for State Services, Dr Jonathan Coleman’s comments regarding public service staff numbers, Jordan Williams, Executive Director of the Taxpayers’ Union says:

“According to the State Services Commission, the proportion of public sector staff which are based in Wellington relative to the rest of New Zealand has increased since 2009. Unless the Minister is telling us there has been an influx of police officers and doctors into Wellington, his claim that there are less 'back office' staff cannot be correct."

“Changes to how ‘core government administration’ is defined may have led to these numbers. The Minister can fiddle with labels but the facts are Wellington has more state servants now than in 2009."

"Only by reducing the cap and forcing government staff out of the capital will taxpayers get value for money.”

Dr Coleman’s statement is available here: http://beehive.govt.nz/release/facts-about-public-service-numbers

The relevant State Services Commission report is available here:http://www.ssc.govt.nz/sites/all/files/HRC2013.pdf
ENDS

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