General News
9 April, 2025
Dyson slams Coalition plan to axe jobs
INDEPENDENT candidate for Wannon Alex Dyson has slammed Coalition leader Peter Dutton’s plan to slash more than 40,000 public service jobs.
Mr Dutton announced his plans to “reverse” Labor’s increase of 41,000 public servants in his Budget Reply last month, which Mr Dyson says will have negative consequences for some of the region’s most vulnerable residents.
“These extreme cuts would have a devastating impact on people across Wannon - from pensioners who can’t access local help, to farmers who are no longer protected from disease,” he said.
“Dan Tehan and Peter Dutton want voters to believe that there will be no negative effects from these job losses, but it is impossible to make such reckless cuts without causing real harm.
“Any business owner or farmer would tell you that sacking a quarter of your staff is a huge risk, but this is exactly what Dan Tehan and Peter Dutton are planning for Australia.”
Mr Dyson said cuts could disrupt or delay support payments like aged pensions, reduce the local face-to-face support offered by Services Australia, impact the delivery of vital services and support to local NDIS participants ,and reduce local biosecurity staff – leaving local farmers vulnerable to dangerous pests and diseases.
“These cuts will create longer wait times for services, and further reduce service quality, but the risks are much greater than this,” he said.
“Many Wannon locals would remember the devastation caused by the Robodebt scheme, which was supported by the then-Cabinet-Minister Dan Tehan.
“These extreme Tehan-Dutton cuts could recreate the awful outcomes of Robodebt all over again.”
Mr Dyson said, unlike Dan Tehan and the Liberal Party, he wanted to fight to protect local government services and protect the tens of thousands of Wannon residents who rely on them.
“Thousands of people across Wannon have told me that times are tough, and that they need more support from the government – not less,” he said.
“The heartless cuts being proposed by Dan Tehan and Peter Dutton would be a slap in the face for these people, but I am fighting hard to make sure they don’t happen.
“The people of Wannon have a clear choice at this election – an incumbent MP who will cut services and make lives harder, or a community independent who hears what you need, and will fight for it.
“If elected as an Independent, I will fight for the people of Wannon, and fight for the essential local services that we all rely on.”
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