UNIONS SAY ALP NEEDS POLICY CHANGE, NOT JUST CHANGE IN LEADERSHIP

6 February 2011

South Australian unions say changes to the leadership of the State Government will be meaningless unless there are real changes to the way it governs.

SA Unions Secretary, Janet Giles says Labor has lost its way and has become arrogant and disconnected from the community.

"South Australians don't want window dressing from this government."

"Kevin Foley may have resigned as Deputy Premier, but he's still in Cabinet."

"We've still got the same Premier and the same policies."

"We've got the same budget decisions which are attacking the working conditions of tens of thousands of South Australian public sector workers, and we've got the same budget decisions which hit people's hip pocket."

"Until those decisions are reversed, unions will keep fighting for the interests of working South Australians."

"South Australians want a government which actually sits down and listens to people in the community."

Ms Giles says radio ads will start on air this week to remind people just how hard the 2010/11 budget will hit ordinary working people.

"The budget of a thousand cuts will hit every South Australian", Ms Giles says.

"And on top of a range of cuts and price hikes, the jobs of more than 3,700 South Australians will disappear from the public sector."

Ms Giles says the loss of so many jobs will hurt families and damage the South Australian economy.

"We'll be issuing the same challenge to anyone who takes up a leadership position in the Labor Government - reverse the budget cuts and put the interests of working South Australians first."