shame on the state alp! crying poor during times of great prosperity. at least the libs are honest enough to announce billion $$$ surpluses in canberra.....
In the last 10 years the SA state government has enjoyed the benefit of the GST, the pokies windfall, not to mention increasing speed & red light camera revenue as well as a massive windfall on stamp duty from property sales. they then pull a stunt like this. what a sham!!!
January 17, 2007 01:15am Article from The Advertiser, front page A FUNDING crisis has forced a spending freeze in the State Government department that oversees families and communities in need.
Warning the budget is "under huge pressure", Families SA chief executive Sue Vardon has set out 15 tough new cost-saving measures and warned there were more to come. The tough measures include a freeze on staff, a ban on catching taxis in the CBD and a review on mobile phone use and allocation.
This is the first indication of cost saving since the release of the Mid-Year Budget Review last month, which showed the state's finances were under extreme pressure.
The constraints were revealed in an email to senior executives dated January 12, obtained by The Advertiser, in which Ms Vardon warned the main concern for the department was the growing number of children coming into care.
Families SA oversees foster care, child protection, ageing, housing, disability, adoption and emergency accommodation services.
In the email Ms Vardon, said her office was "trying to find offsetting savings" for the growth in children in care and disability pressures and said there were more "hard decisions which will have to be made".
"I have been called to explain these to the Treasurer," she wrote.
She ordered:
ONLY essential jobs be filled.
NO agency or contract staff unless deemed essential by senior directors.
NO taxis for staff in the CBD. "The buses are fine."
EXECUTIVE cars be made available to staff.
USE of consultancies cease unless deemed essential.
NO new positions created without approval of the relevant executive director or CEO.
A REVIEW of all overtime and additional duties.
A REVIEW of mobile phone use and allocation.
"These constraints will remain until at least June 2007," Ms Vardon wrote.
It comes after revelations the Housing Trust is facing the sale of almost a quarter of its stock, almost 10,000 homes, unless it's finances are turned around.
A rescue plan for the financially troubled agency, reported by The Advertiser earlier this month, includes options to abolish life-long occupancy rights and introducing three-year leases.
Families SA also conceded this month it did not investigate within the set timeframes nearly 45 per cent of alleged child abuse and neglect cases in which children were considered at risk of some harm and almost 10 per cent of cases in which a child was determined to be in immediate danger.
Another 12,584 reports were deemed not worthy of any investigation.
Independent MP Nick Xenophon said it was "critical" budget pressures did not result in "the department skimping on child protection".
"It's a concern and we cannot afford to let protection of children slip," Mr Xenophon said.
Last year 68 Families SA employees - up from 42 in 2005 - were put on salaries and benefits in excess of $100,000.
Ms Vardon's wage jumped from about $240,000 in 2004-05 to above $310,000.
The Advertiser yesterday approached Ms Vardon for comment but she referred inquiries to Families and Communities Minister Jay Weatherill.
Mr Weatherill said the department was no different from any other "in terms of implementing savings announced in last year's Budget".
"Our focus remains on spending taxpayers dollars to deliver services at the frontline," Mr Weatherill said.
Opposition Leader Iain Evans said this was "just another example of a government that's got its priorities completely wrong".
