The Berejiklian government's proposal to save $3 billion by freezing public sector wages hinges on support in the NSW upper house, as the Treasurer prepares to make last-ditch appeals for support from key crossbenchers.
Shooters, Fishers and Farmers MP Robert Borsak said the party's MPs would meet with Dominic Perrottet on Thursday to hear the Treasurer's case for freezing the pay of more than 400,000 public servants for 12 months.
Labor, the Greens and the Animal Justice Party confirmed on Wednesday they would support a disallowance motion to overturn the pay freeze when Parliament returns.
With the support of the Shooters, which have previously stated their opposition to a public sector wage freeze, the grouping will have the majority needed to scuttle the government's plans.
"We are willing to listen to what he [Mr Perrottet] has to say," Mr Borsak said. "I don't think our partyroom position will change.
"I can't think of anything he would put on the table that would change our mind."
Mr Perrottet revealed on Wednesday the NSW government would seek to implement the freeze via regulation, saying the measure was necessary to protect public sector jobs and create new jobs in the private sector.
However, the regulation has a strong chance of being overturned by the NSW Legislative Council, where a majority of MPs can vote to disallow regulations. The government holds a minority of seats in the upper house.
Announcing the policy on Wednesday, Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the measure would save the government $3 billion, and was necessary to keep "all of our employees in jobs".
"If we don't take this decision today, the decisions we need to take down the track will be even more difficult," she said.
"We are not talking about saving the budget or saving the economy. We are literally talking about saving jobs."
Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced a one-year freeze on public service pay rises on Wednesday.Credit: Nick Moir
The policy would see every public servant forgo a 2.5 per cent pay rise for 12 months, but would be accompanied by a guarantee of no forced redundancies for all employees who are not senior executives.
Labor leader Jodi McKay said the opposition would fight the government "every step of the way", calling the policy a "pay cut" and "a kick in the guts and a slap in the face" for public servants.
"We will do everything we can in the upper house of the Parliament to ensure this does not happen," she said.
Greens MP David Shoebridge said a public servant on $80,000 would lose $2000 as a result of the freeze.
"That is not the way you thank public sector workers for keeping us safe and keeping us going during the pandemic," Mr Shoebridge said.
The policy also places the government on a war footing with public sector unions, including the nurses' and teachers' unions which have foreshadowed their willingness for industrial action.
Unions NSW secretary Mark Morey said unions would immediately begin an "intense lobbying campaign" to convince the upper house crossbench to disallow the regulation.
"We don't think this [pay freeze] is right. These are people who have gone above and beyond during the fires and the pandemic and now the government is saying you don't deserve a pay rise," he said.
"As it sinks in, people are going to get pretty angry. I wouldn't take anything off the table at this point."
Mr Perrottet appealed directly to the upper house to support the measure.
"This is the time for us to come together and do what is right and make sure that every single dollar we have access to in NSW goes to supporting those people who are out of work and protecting those people in the public service who have a job."
In comments directed at the Labor Party, he said: "Today you aren't just elected to represent the unions, you're elected to represent the people of NSW."
Mr Perrottet said the freeze would apply to new pay agreements as they arise, and confirmed the government would not attempt to unwind existing agreements.
Lisa Visentin is a state political reporter at The Sydney Morning Herald.
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2020-05-27 07:51:04Z
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