Macbeth was right. If you are going to do an assassination then ” ’twere well it were done quickly”. The vice-president of the ACT Chamber of Commerce and Industry, John Louttit, did not quite have the eloquence of the Bard, but the sentiment he expressed about retrenching Canberra public servants equally as true as the sentiment Macbeth expressed about “”retrenching” Scottish aspirants to the throne. Do it quickly.
From the viewpoint of the people of Canberra the length of time it is taking to cut the public service to a size acceptable to the federal government is perhaps more damaging than the cuts themselves. While ever people are uncertain about job security they behave as if today is their last day at work. They do not spend. They do not plan. They go into a state of semi-hibernation. The result is as bad for business in Canberra than if they had lost their job. Indeed, it might be worse, for there is no retrenchment package and no renewal.
The statistics and the surveys from the chamber and the Advance Bank Trends publication show both a slump in business and a slump in business confidence in Canberra. Given the people of Australia voted for a new government committed to cutting the public sector, it was inevitable that Canberra would suffer economically. But it seems that the process is being drawn out unnecessarily and with that come uncertainty. Business requires confidence not uncertainty. If the public sector is to be cut, ’twere well it were done quickly. Only then will some confidence return to the city.