Today the Member for Maitland Jenny Aitchison MP joined with members of the Public Service Association and employees of the Office of State Revenue (OSR) to launch a petition calling on the NSW Government to immediately halt all plans to transfer 40 OSR jobs from Maitland to Gosford.

In April 2016, the Government announced plans to move 330 positions to Gosford to reenergise the local economy. Unfortunately, these extra positions in Gosford come at the expense of Maitland’s economy.

In June, the Government back flipped on their decision to fill 50 roles at the Gosford office through natural attrition at the Maitland and Lithgow OSR offices. 25 of these jobs would have been from Maitland.

The Government must immediately reverse course on this second disastrous plan to rip public service jobs out of the Hunter region and stop the forced transfer of 40 jobs out of Maitland.

Comments attributable to Member for Maitland Jenny Aitchison MP:

“Forty job losses at the our local Office of State Revenue will be devastating for the local economy and for many in my electorate”

“Maitland and the wider Hunter Region are suffering from high unemployment rates and a loss of jobs as a result of the mining down turn. The NSW Government should be supporting our economy, not ripping jobs out of it”.

“Forcing 40 Maitland residents and their families to rip up their lives in Maitland and to lengthen their commute means kids won’t see their parents until late at night. If they decide to move to Gosford, kids will have to change schools, spouses will have to find other jobs.”

“The median house price in Maitland is $310,000. The median house price in Gosford is $923,500. How does this Government expect these employees to afford to buy a house if they are forced to move?”

“We have already forced the Government to backflip on 25 of the 65 jobs they wanted to take from Maitland. We now have to save the 40 jobs still at risk”