NSW: Fed gvt mean spirited in not giving social workers pay rise

AAP General News (Australia)
12-06-2001
NSW: Fed gvt mean spirited in not giving social workers pay rise

SYDNEY, Dec 6 AAP - The federal government was deplorable and mean-spirited for failing
to cough up funds to cover a pay rise for NSW social workers, state Treasurer Michael
Egan said today.

The state government last month agreed to provide $40 million to give 20,000 social
workers across NSW a pay rise.

However, the new award, granted by the Industrial Relations Commission, is contingent
on joint government funding of the rise because the organisations are fully government-funded.

Mr Egan said he had written to federal Treasurer Peter Costello two weeks ago asking
for the federal government to contribute to the pay rise, but the request had so far fallen
on deaf ears.

"The response so far from Mr Costello has been a deafening silence," Mr Egan said.

He said the federal government's failure to meet about half the cost of the pay rises
meant regional areas in NSW would suffer.

"To illustrate the meanness of the federal government, I'm told that in Gunnedah, for
example, it would cost the commonwealth government just $1,000 a year to meet its share
of the cost to keep Meals on Wheels services at their current level," Mr Egan said.

He said in Tamworth, the government would only have to contribute $4,000 for the local
Meals on Wheels Service for it to continue operating.

Mr Egan said the federal government's failure to fund the rise was deplorable.

"They should be condemned for the distress they're causing the needy," he said.

NSW Council of Social Service director Alan Kirkland said essential community services,
including domestic violence support centres, disability services, refuges and youth centres,
would be forced to put workers off if the increase was not paid by governments.

Comment was being sought from Mr Costello's office.

AAP nd/hn/ph/de e

KEYWORD: SOCIAL

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