374. Hon ALISON XAMON to the Leader of the House representing the Premier:
I refer to reports that the government may be considering a public sector wage freeze.
(1) Does the Premier support freezing the wages of public sector workers at this time?
(2) Has the government determined to freeze public sector wages?
(3) If yes to (2), during what time period will the freeze take effect?
Hon SUE ELLERY replied:
I thank the honourable member for some notice of the question.
(1)–(3) The government is not looking at freezing public sector wages at this time. Our budget management of the past three years got us to surplus and got debt heading down. Clearly, the situation is now far more difficult and our revenues will be significantly reduced. COVID-19 is a dynamic situation and we will continue to monitor and review policies that we make in response. If necessary, we will look at our wages policy if our budget continues to deteriorate.