ACT Election TV ad campaign launched by UnionsACT

UnionsACT will tomorrow launch its ACT election television advertising campaign, highlighting the record of the Liberal party in breaking promises and cutting public sector jobs.

In every jurisdiction in Australia, the Liberal party has promised to not cut health and education funding, or public sector jobs, only to break those promises after the election.

  • Victoria 2012: Ted Baillieu made a commitment before the election that there would be “absolutely no reduction in public servants.” In the first Liberal budget in 2013, the Victorian Liberal government reduced the Victorian public service by 3,600 positions, a cut of 10 percent of the workforce.
  • Queensland 2012: Campbell Newman made the following statement: “An LNP government will also commit to no forced redundancies”, and that no front-line jobs would be cut. In the 2012 budget, the LNP government cut 15,000 public service jobs including 2,754 jobs in Queensland health, including nurses, pathologists and counsellors.
  • Commonwealth 2014: Tony Abbott promised “no cuts to health”. The 2014 budget cut over $43.5 billion from the health budget, including $600 million from ACT health and hospital funding. These were confirmed in the 2015 budget, and had a major negative impact on Canberra’s public hospitals. Additionally, the Federal Liberals cut over 13,000 APS jobs, over 7,000 of which were in Canberra, and has frozen public sector wages since 2013.

The Canberra Liberals have refused to release the costings of their election promises, including the cost of their decision to tear up the light rail contracts.

The UnionsACT ad features Jude, a Canberra nurse of 39 years’ experience, asking the Canberra Liberals to come clean about their plans.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XKYUin0Eac&rel=0&w=600&showinfo=0]

The ad will be broadcast on WIN and Prime7 from 6 August until late September, and be complimented by radio and social media advertising.

The following quotes are attributable to Alex White, secretary of UnionsACT:

“The Canberra Liberals have had over 12 months to explain to Canberra how they plan to fund their election promises.

“Many local public sector workers have contacted us to express their deep concern that their jobs may be at risk because of the reckless policies of the Canberra Liberals.

“The Canberra Liberals have at least $380 million in unfunded promises, and a track record of cruel cuts to health, education and public services.

“With the ACT Election so close, it is time for Mr Hanson and Mr Coe to be up front with the Canberra community about what their plans really are.”

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