A senior minister says present Government department spending levels are unsustainable and the Coalition needs to make a "lean and efficient" public sector.
Oranga Tamariki and the Ministry of Education announced a combined 1000 lay-offs this week, marking the latest cuts in the public sector as the Government cracks down on spending.
"I think what we saw was a hiring binge under the previous Government - there were 16,000 more public servants brought in over their six years and all the results were worse," National Party minister Paul Goldsmith told AM host Melissa Chan-Green on Friday.
"So, you had all these extra people at [the Ministry of] Education and fewer kids were going to school, and we were getting worse outcomes."
Goldsmith pointed to the Government's deficit and debt levels, and said the Coalition needed "to make those tough decisions".
The Government has faced criticism for the public sector cuts, with Labour MP Willie Jackson accusing the Coalition of using them to make room for tax cuts.
"What has happened in the last 24 hours is a disgrace, we're talking about losing staff in the Oranga Tamariki area and the education area - all the pressure's going to go on the frontline," Jackson said, appearing on AM alongside Goldsmith.
"What're we going to do now? We heard [Associate Education Minister David] Seymour waffling on yesterday, 'What are you all moaning about?'... We've got an education problem.
"These guys are putting $2.9 billion into their landlords; they're putting $2.9 billion in terms of tax cuts - they are now risking our kids at the front line in terms of education."
While the Public Service Association also believed the cuts would impact the next generation, Goldsmith said any Government needed to prioritise its resources.
"Yes, we shouldn't keep on taking more tax from New Zealanders and so there should be some relief there and, also, we should make sure that our Government departments are lean and efficient," he told AM.
"It's easier to hire and grow than it is to shrink... Of course, things have to come back - you can't keep carrying on as if nothing has changed."
