Defence Public Servants Need Your Support

·         Approximately ¼ of all Department of Defence (DoD) staff in Australia are Australian Public Servants (APS) many of whom are veterans; for these people service in the Department as an APS employee is a logical progression stemming from an enduring commitment to Australia’s security and yet the Federal Government wants the Australian people to remain unaware of this fact.

·         The Federal Government’s Public Sector Bargaining Framework is directly undermining Australian Defence capability (see the current Senate Inquiry into the government’s bargaining framework here): http://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Education_and_Employment/APSBargaining.

·         The government wants you to think they are being responsible economic managers and that ‘kicking’ Australia’s Public Servants is good sport and in the national interest, however nothing could be further from the truth.

·         Australia’s security is being hollowed out and denuded through a relentless drive for savings and mass reductions in the numbers of DoD APS staff. In just 3 years DoD APS staff numbers have decreased by almost 20% from 21000 to 17000 and the reductions continue with no end in sight.

·         The Australian Public Servant is now the new “bad kid on the block” and is being disrespected and devalued by ignorant politicians who have given themselves (and departmental executives) world beating pay rises: http://www.news.com.au/national/australian-mps-now-among-the-highest-paid-in-the-world/story-fncynjr2-1226681596923. In other words politicians have caused the offence and have deflected the inevitable public backlash against hard working APS staff.

·         Contrary to political spin, APS staff are not particularly well remunerated and the current bargaining stance is an attack on staff pay and conditions. The DoD APS Engineering and Technical branch is in crisis through sustained and wilful neglect by numerous governments http://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Foreign_Affairs_Defence_and_Trade/Defence_PSE_Workforce.

·         The Federal government’s current bargaining policy is unfair, callous, short sighted, un-Australian and undermines national security.

·         Register your protest against this destructive Federal Government policy by signing this petition and help show your support for the vital role that Australian Defence Public Service employees fulfil.

·         Thank you.