Bureaucrat Numbers Explode While Politicians Fiddle With Definition

29 May 2014

The New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union is questioning the public service employment figures released yesterday by State Services Minister Jonathan Coleman. Jordan Williams, Executive Director of the Taxpayers’ Union, says:

“We find staffing numbers difficult to reconcile with the Government’s claims to have reined in the state sector. The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment alone has hired an extra 19 spin doctors in the last six months. How can this be justified?"

“The Government is wrong to claim that core public service staff numbers have reduced. The reality is that the total number of public servants rose by almost 1100 in the second half of 2013, and there has been a drastic increase in the Wellington public sector in the last five years."

"Instead of focusing on core services and hiring front line staff, the Government is fiddling with definitions of ‘back office’. It’s misleading to tell taxpayers that Wellington’s core bureaucracy is capped when changes in job titles are being used to get around it."

“The Government should not be allocating more money to departments unless they purge staff and bureaucrats that don't add to frontline services,” concludes Williams.

The New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union is a non-partisan activist group, dedicated to being the voice for Kiwi taxpayers in the corridors of power. It’s here to fight government waste and make sure New Zealanders get value for money from their tax dollar.

ENDS

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