New public service roles have been announced in marginal seats across the country, but so far there isn't much love for Canberra. A week after the Coalition government pledged it would move 76 jobs at the Murray Darling Basin Authority outside of Canberra, new analysis shows Labor's public service jobs promises have mostly been made in marginal electorates. Labor has announced it will add an extra 1200 jobs in the Department of Human Services if its wins the election, with the largest section of jobs to be in Townsville in the ultra-marginal seat of Herbert, which Labor's Cathy O'Toole won from the Liberal National Party by just 37 votes. Of the 760 jobs that have already been announced around the country, 540 have been pledged in marginal seats, while the others have been promised to safe Labor electorates. Almost 300 jobs have been promised in seats the party hopes to win from the government. Labor's spokesman on human services, Ed Husic, said further announcements would be on the way, but didn't comment on whether any of the promised jobs would come to Canberra. "Labor is making its decisions to place these jobs in areas where there is high public demand for Centrelink and Medicare services or where new jobs can help deliver an economic boost - or both," he said. "We have consciously prioritised our decisions to place these roles in regional or outer metro areas." Labor wanted to decentralise front-line service delivery, Mr Husic said, claiming the Coalition hadn't achieved its stated goal. While neither side of politics is likely to repeat the controversial decision by then-agriculture minister Barnaby Joyce to move the whole Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority to Armidale in his own electorate, the decentralisation project doesn't look to be over. Of the 76 jobs in the Murray Darling Basin Authority going bush, 48 will be shared between Mildura, where the Nationals will hope to retain the seat of Mallee with new candidate Anne Webster after Andrew Broad's fall from grace and Griffith, in the safe Liberal seat held by Sussan Ley. Twelve positions will go to Murray Bridge in the South Australian seat held by Tony Pasin, and other jobs will move to Goondiwindi, Queensland. The Coalition announced last year 50 jobs at the Australian Maritime Safety Authority would either be created or moved to a new regional headquarters in Coffs Harbour. The city is in the seat of Cowper, where the Nationals' Luke Hartsuyker has announced his retirement from politics, and former independent MP Rob Oakeshott has said he intends to run. Expansions to Centrelink's call centre workforce undertaken by the Coalition have also been focused outside of the capital, with outsourced jobs headed to Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide and Brisbane.
New public service roles have been announced in marginal seats across the country, but so far there isn't much love for Canberra.
A week after the Coalition government pledged it would move 76 jobs at the Murray Darling Basin Authority outside of Canberra, new analysis shows Labor's public service jobs promises have mostly been made in marginal electorates.
Labor has announced it will add an extra 1200 jobs in the Department of Human Services if its wins the election, with the largest section of jobs to be in Townsville in the ultra-marginal seat of Herbert, which Labor's Cathy O'Toole won from the Liberal National Party by just 37 votes.
Of the 760 jobs that have already been announced around the country, 540 have been pledged in marginal seats, while the others have been promised to safe Labor electorates. Almost 300 jobs have been promised in seats the party hopes to win from the government.
Labor's spokesman on human services, Ed Husic, said further announcements would be on the way, but didn't comment on whether any of the promised jobs would come to Canberra.
"Labor is making its decisions to place these jobs in areas where there is high public demand for Centrelink and Medicare services or where new jobs can help deliver an economic boost - or both," he said.
"We have consciously prioritised our decisions to place these roles in regional or outer metro areas."
Labor wanted to decentralise front-line service delivery, Mr Husic said, claiming the Coalition hadn't achieved its stated goal.
While neither side of politics is likely to repeat the controversial decision by then-agriculture minister Barnaby Joyce to move the whole Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority to Armidale in his own electorate, the decentralisation project doesn't look to be over.
Of the 76 jobs in the Murray Darling Basin Authority going bush, 48 will be shared between Mildura, where the Nationals will hope to retain the seat of Mallee with new candidate Anne Webster after Andrew Broad's fall from grace and Griffith, in the safe Liberal seat held by Sussan Ley.
Twelve positions will go to Murray Bridge in the South Australian seat held by Tony Pasin, and other jobs will move to Goondiwindi, Queensland.
The Coalition announced last year 50 jobs at the Australian Maritime Safety Authority would either be created or moved to a new regional headquarters in Coffs Harbour. The city is in the seat of Cowper, where the Nationals' Luke Hartsuyker has announced his retirement from politics, and former independent MP Rob Oakeshott has said he intends to run.
Expansions to Centrelink's call centre workforce undertaken by the Coalition have also been focused outside of the capital, with outsourced jobs headed to Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide and Brisbane.
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