Mr DARGAVEL —As part of the government's planned plundering of the 5,000 DAS jobs, its wants to kill the AGPS—a profitable public sector trading enterprise—and cruel up to 500 local workers in the ACT in the process. The AGPS turned a profit last year of $2.4 million. It is a successful public sector enterprise. As part of its functions it performs a number of security-related activities, including the production of budget papers for this House, passports and so on.

It appears under the government's Yellow pages test that you are somewhat dammed if you do and you are damned if you do not as a public sector enterprise in this country. If you do not turn a profit but provide services, you are contracted out, outsourced or sold off. If you do turn a profit the argument goes that you should be sold off because someone else can make some money.

The ACT is in recession according to that somewhat conservative economic forecaster Access Economics. The government's solution to the ACT's recession is to sack more workers. I call upon the government to reverse its decision in relation to the AGPS. (Time expired)