New Queensland Premier Vows No Cuts to 250,000-Strong Public Service

The last time the Liberal National Party (LNP) took power in Queensland under Campbell Newman, one of its first acts was to cut the state’s public service. But newly elected Premier David Crisafulli, who ended Labor’s nine-year hold on power at the state election last weekend, has vowed he won’t follow suit. Crisafulli was sworn in as Queensland’s 41st premier on Oct. 28, and immediately moved to reassure Queensland’s 250,000 public servants that their jobs were safe. Newman had taken about 14,000 people off the state’s payroll during his 2012-2015 term. In what is believed to be his first official correspondence as premier, Crisafulli sent an email saying, “There will be no employment cuts to the public service workforce. Having seen the impact of job losses in the past on the productivity and morale of the public service, I will not be repeating those actions.”...