P.S.A. wants halt to State-sector revamp

Press, 14 October 1985, Page 18

P.S.A. wants halt to State-sector revamp

Wellington reporter The Public Service Association last week sent a yard-long telegram to the Prime. Minister, Mr Lange, to protest against reorganisation of the State sector. It said many of the moves being made ran contrary to the Government’s election promises and would rebound to harm New Zealand society. 1 The P.S.A. called for a moritorium and consultations. At issue are the policy of making the user pay, the breaking up of Government departments into more selfcontained corporations, and the closing of activities such as the Stewart Island ferry.

The president of the P.S.A., Mr Colin Hicks, said, “We are telling the Government to stop, take a deep breath and look at where they are and where they are going. “They seem to be caught up in a momentum which has been generated by some textbook theory rather than by careful practical assessment of what is best for New Zealand. “The user-pays edict is obnoxious. It cuts away at a stroke our carefully nurtured philosophy that some services and facilities should be provided to all members of the community and not just to those who can afford them. “The wish to set up corporations will achieve little

other than to remove more and more of the State sector from effective accountability to the public. As time goes on, these corporations will start to modify their behaviour and copy their commercial counterparts. “At that stage, considerations of public health and safety, environmental protection, regional development, employment growth, and service to the public are reduced in importance. At the same time, the political neutrality of the public sector is put at risk.” The closing of State activities on the basis that they must be done profitably or by private businesses or not at all, was little short of disgraceful, he said.