The Member for Maribyrnong, Bill Shorten, today demanded that Opposition Leader Tony Abbott come clean on who will be sacked and what services will be lost in his push to move Government departments out of Victoria.

 “Today it has been revealed that Tony Abbott has a plan to move services and thousands of jobs out of the Southern States and major cities to remote Northern Australia,” Mr Shorten said.

 “It’s clear that Tony Abbott will abandon Melbourne if he becomes Prime Minister – slashing services and moving jobs out.

 “These cuts will come on top of Ted Baillieu’s massive jobs and services cuts from schools and hospitals – cuts he didn’t tell us about before the election.”

 Mr Shorten said that he was especially concerned about the impact of the plan on Maribyrnong and Melbourne’s West, because he has a major branch of the Tax Office in his electorate, along with a number of Centrelink and Medicare offices.

 “Government jobs and services help to underpin a local economy, as any small business person will tell you.

 “At the moment, over 23,000 people in Melbourne, and a further 3,500 around regional Victoria  are employed by the Federal Government.

 “Local families deserve to know which jobs and services he will cut from Victoria and send to Liberal seats in Northern Australia, at the cost of millions of taxpayer dollars.

 “We also need to be told what the Victorian Liberal and National parties know about the plan – it’s time they came clean.”

“It’s not good enough – Victorians deserve better.”

[ENDS]

Suburbs in the Maribyrnong electorate include: Aberfeldie, Airport West, Albion, Avondale Heights, Brooklyn (part), Essendon, Essendon North, Essendon West, Kealba, Keilor East, Keilor Park, Maribyrnong (part), Moonee Ponds, Niddrie, St Albans (part), Sunshine, Sunshine North and Tullamarine (part).

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