While we were all mesmerised by the tragic and horrific events unfolding in yesterday’s siege at the Lindt Cafe, Treasurer Joe Hockey and Finance Minister Mathias Cormann quietly slipped in to deliver the midyear budget update.
It was also horrific, but in a different sense. Horrific in that 16,500 people will lose their jobs due to the government’s savage cuts (in their vain attempt to deliver a surplus that they never will), and for the raft of essential services that will be scrapped.
The cuts announced by Hockey and Cormann have received minimal coverage in the mainstream media. I found the list on a Facebook page called Where’s My Ostrich, and whilst they may or may not be the original compilers, I feel obliged to credit them for this extensive (and it seems secretive) list.
- Cuts the Australian Government Solicitor
- Cuts the Telework Advisory Panel
- Cuts the Protection Zone Committees
- Cuts the Forces Entertainment Board
- Cuts the Antarctic Research Assessment Committee
- Cuts the Australian Antarctic Names and Medals Committee
- Cuts the Biological Diversity Advisory Committee
- Cuts the Climate Adaptation Outlook Independent Expert Group
- Cuts the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority Advisory Board
- Cuts the Health and Hospitals Fund Advisory Board
- Cuts the National Advisory for Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment
- Cuts the Inspector of Transport Security
- Cuts the Reconstruction Inspectorate
- Cuts the Development Allowance Authority
- Abolishes the Artbank Advisory Committee
- Abolishes the Australian and New Zealand Standard Diagnostic Procedures Working Group
- Abolishes the Benchmarks Working Group which monitors acute hospital performance
- Abolishes the Department of Agriculture – Live Animal Export Division – Industry
- Government Implementation Group
- Abolishes the Forestry and Forest Products Committee
- Abolishes the National Surveillance and Diagnostics Working Group
- Abolishes the Laboratories for Emergency Animal Disease Diagnosis and Response Working Group
- Abolishes the National Strategies Working Group
- Abolishes the New Test Evaluation Working Group
- Abolishes the Rabies Preparedness Working Group
- Abolishes the Subcommittee on Animal Health Laboratory Standards
- Abolishes the Australian Defence Force Financial Services Consumer Council
- Abolishes the Department of Defence Diversity Advisory Group
- Abolishes the Committee which was overseeing reform to the repair and maintenance of the Navy’s ships
- Abolishes the Department of Defence CEO’s round table
- Abolishes the Standing Council on School Education and Early Childhood Joint Working Group to Provide Advice on Students with Disability
- Abolishes the Fair Work Building and Construction Independent Assessor
- Abolishes the National Precincts Board
- Abolishes the Pharmaceutical Industry Working Group
- Abolishes the Bureau of Resources and Energy Economics Advisory Board
- Abolishes the Inter-Jurisdictional Working Group
- Abolishes the Local Government Ministers’ Forum
- Abolishes the National Disaster Recovery Taskforce
- Abolishes the Urban Policy Forum
- Abolishes the Australian Council of Local Government
- Abolishes the Official Establishments Trust
- Abolishes the ANZAC Centenary Public Fund Board
- Abolishes the Australian National Memorial New Zealand Advisory Panel
- Abolishes the Community Nursing Clinical Advisory Committee
- Abolishes the eHealth Technical Advisory Group
- Abolishes the Gulf War Study Advisory Committee
- Abolishes the Medicines Advice and Therapeutics Education Services Practitioner Reference Group
- Abolishes the Medicines Advice and Therapeutics Education Services Veterans Reference Group
- Abolishes the Medicines Advice and Therapeutics Education Services Writing Group
- Abolishes the Peacekeepers Study Advisory Committee
- Abolishes the research working group
- Dismantles the Vietnam Veterans Education Centre
- Abolishes the Strategic Cross-sectoral Data Committee for Early Childhood, Education and Training
- Dismantles the Australian Qualifications Framework Council
- Wipes out the Education Investment Fund Advisory Board
- Cancels the COAG Select Council on Workplace Relations
- Abolishes the Antarctic Science Advisory Committee
- Abolishes the Bureau of Meteorology Water Accounting Standards Board
- Abolishes the COAG Standing Council on Environment and Water
- Disbands the Commonwealth Environmental Water Stakeholder Reference Panel
- Abolishes the Emissions Intensive – Trade Exposed Expert Advisory Committee
- Abolishes the Fuel Standards Consultative Committee
- Disbands the Iconic Sites Taskforce
- Gets rid of the Indigenous Water Advisory Committee
- Abolishes the National Landscapes Reference Committee
- Disbands the National Marine Mammal Advisory Committee
- Abolishes the National Marine Mammal Scientific Committee
- Disbands the Australia Awards Board
- Abolishes the Tourism Quality Council of Australia
- Disbands the Anti-Doping Research Panel
- Disbands the Department of Human Services Council on Strategy and Innovation
- Abolishes the Gas Market – Industry Reference Group
- Abolishes the Technical Advisory Committee for the Coal Mining Abatement Technology Support Package
- Annuls the Infrastructure Coordinator
- Silences the Northern Australia Indigenous Experts Forum on sustainable Economic Development
- Terminates the Expert Advisory Panel on Northern Australia
- Abolishes the Marine Council
- Dismantles the Northern Australia Ministerial Forum
- Annuls the Regional Australia Standing Council
- Cancels the Australia in the Asian Century Advisory Board
- Abolishes the First Peoples Education Advisory Group
- Cancels the Indigenous Development effectiveness Initiative Steering Committee
- Abolishes the Aged Care Standards and Accreditation Agency Ltd
- Cancels the Aged Care Planning Advisory Committee
- Annuls the Aged Care Reform Implementation Council
- Cancels the Healthy Life Better Ageing Committee
- Silences the Minister’s Dementia Advisory Group
- Abolishes the National Children and Family Roundtable
- Silences the National Injury Insurance Scheme Advisory Group
- Abolishes the Australian Financial Centre Taskforce
- Abolishes the Current and Former Members of the ADF Emerging Issues Forum
- Cancels the National Health, Aged and Community Care Forum
- Abolishes the Operational Working Party which advises government on the needs of the ex-service community
- Cuts funding for the National Trade Cadetships programme
- Ceases payments to apprentices under Support for Adult Australian Apprenticeships program
- Abolishes the Australian Workforce and Productivity Agency
Horrific, don’t you think?
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