Today I issued a joint media release with Shadow Minister for Regional Development, Julie Collins, critical of the Government's decision to close ten regional ATO sites:
ABBOTT GOVERNMENT SHOWS CONTEMPT FOR REGIONAL AUSTRALIA WITH ATO CLOSURES
The closure of 10 regional Australian Tax Office sites across Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania shows the National Party is truly the junior and ineffective partner in the Coalition.
The ATO has confirmed it is closing offices in Toowoomba, Rockhampton, Mackay, Cairns, Port Macquarie, Grafton, Orange, Sale, Bendigo, and Launceston.
Up to eighty staff and countless small businesses will be affected by this decision. Offices will close before October.
It’s a blow for regional communities and those families with ATO workers. This is no way to acknowledge hard-working regional teams. Small businesses seeking free advice from friendly ATO staff will have no local option.
The ATO is a national organisation with national and therefore regional responsibilities.
The ATO is the worst hit agency under a nasty federal budget that decimates the Australian Public Service, with cuts totalling $142.8 million over the forward estimates.
The Abbott Government is slashing 16,500 APS jobs. This is a broken promise by the Coalition that pledged not to cut more than 12,000 jobs.
WEDNESDAY, 28 MAY 2014
MEDIA CONTACT: TONI HASSAN (LEIGH) 0426 207 726
LISA MYCKO (COLLINS) 0409 584 840
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