Incredible and incredulous:- Brogden plans to cut DOCS funds

The Public Service Association reacted with incredulity to the policy announcement by Mr Brogden that he would rip many hundreds of millions of dollars from the Department of Community Services. With every respect and with no disrespect, one has to wonder at the sanity of the person making such an announcement.

PSA General Secretary, Maurie O'Sullivan, said "What Mr Brogden is proposing is pretty identical to what his mentor Mr Greiner did some 12 years ago when he closed 27 DOCS offices across NSW and sacked in excess of 1000 people from DOCS. The Department is still reeling from such an onslaught.

"The Government's decision to inject in excess of one billion extra dollars into DOCS is an oxygenic fillip for the beleaguered Department.

"The Coalition call for a Royal Commission is just a red herring. You don't have to be a Howard Carter or a Lord Carnarvan to find what were the problems in DOCS.

"Strong remedial action was taken seven or eight months ago and the psychic management of the Department ceased. It is now a revitalised and energetic Department looking forward to increased staff numbers and increased effectiveness and there is a buzz of morale around the Department. This morale has been lifted by the Coroner's comments of late in clearly stating that areas where DOCS officers had been blamed for children's tragedies were unwarranted and unfair."

"The inhuman and blood-letting lunacy of Mr Greiner and Mrs Chadwick of their day is being replicated by Mr Brogden and his DOCS spokesperson, Mr Hazzard. The brutality of their ignorance is unsounded."

"It is a sad day when the suffering innocents of NSW are being sacrificed for the Coalition's artificial sincerity", Mr O'Sullivan concluded.