The PSA can’t believe that the Minister of Education is happy for her ministry to hire contractors at the same time it is dismissing 565 workers.

Education Minister Erica Stanford told RNZ’s Morning Report today that she expected the Ministry to hire contractors to work on the review of the curriculum despite the Ministry currently employing people to do this work.

"The Government promised a crackdown on consultant and contractor spending, today’s revelation is hypocritical and may end up costing more in the long run. It does not this make sense," said Fleur Fitzsimons, Assistant Secretary for the Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi.

"For a government obsessed with cutting spending across the public service, it’s appalling that she thinks hiring contractors makes sense when people who can do that work are being dismissed. They are decimating the Ministry at a time losing important capability in critical areas like the review of the curriculum."

The Ministry yesterday announced a net reduction of 565 roles including 197 positions at the Curriculum Centre which is responsible for managing ongoing changes to the curriculum including NCEA.

On Morning Report the Minister conceded experts would be brought in for the work on the curriculum. When asked if they were contractors she said;

‘They are short term sprint group people who we bring in just for a short period of time to write the curriculum. So they are contractors? They are.’

"This government has launched an unprecedented attack on the public service and its workers," said Fleur Fitzsimons. "Given the breadth and depth of these brutal cuts it’s clear that very soon ministries will be forced to bring back contractors just as happened under the last National-led government. The Government should be upfront about how many contractors it will need to do the work of dismissed public servants in all agencies.

"The Minister’s comments today expose the short-term decision-making behind this war on the public service.

"We know they haven’t thought it through. Treasury has confirmed in an Official Information Act request as reported in Stuff today that it has done no economic analysis of the impact of these cuts.

"This, from a government that promised evidence-based decision-making. These are just reckless and desperate tactics to fund tax cuts for landlords and others.

"New Zealanders will pay the price when services they depend on will no longer support them as they once did," said Fleur Fitzsimons.

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