Democracy Takes a Beating while Australia is in Mourning

With the tragedy of the Sydney Siege on Monday the eyes of the nation have been pointed toward Martin Place, the scene of the horrific shooting which took the lives of three people and left many others traumatised.

And though it felt as if life had come to standstill as people across the world held their breath, other aspects of business throughout Australia carried on and the government's budget announcement was one of them.

As they said they would the federal government has met to discuss the volume of committees, organisations administrative bodies and advisory boards and how best to “streamline” them to maximise “efficiency”, whatever the cost to effectiveness may be.

Distracted and grieving, the people of Australia have had a large majority of their governmentally administrated services stolen from underneath them. Over 95 government sectors or bodies have been cut, abolished, cancelled or silenced officially including the Marine Council, National Marine Mammal Scientific Committee, Climate Adaptation Independent Expert Group, National Advisory for Tertiary Education, and the National Disaster Recovery Taskforce. The full brunt of the cuts have not yet been felt, and a number of the sectors cut are expert advisory committees and service groups which cater to marginalised members of society. Neither is this the end of the brutal slashings, with the government warning there is more to come in the new year.

The full list of cuts made so far are listed at the conclusion of this article.

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 Services, bodies and sectors cut by the Federal Government yesterday:

Cuts the Australian Government Solicitor - Cuts the Telework Advisory Panel

Cuts the Protection Zone Committees - Cuts the Forces Entertainment Board

Cuts the Antarctic Research Assessment Committee - Cuts the Australian Antarctic Names and Medals Committee

Cuts the Biological Diversity Advisory Committee - Cuts the Climate Adaptation Outlook Independent Expert Group

Cuts the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority Advisory Board - Cuts the Health and Hospitals Fund Advisory Board

Cuts the National Advisory for Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment - Cuts the Inspector of Transport Security

Cuts the Reconstruction Inspectorate - Cuts the Development Allowance Authority

Abolishes the Artbank Advisory Committee - Abolishes the Australian and New Zealand Standard Diagnostic Procedures Working Group

Abolishes the Benchmarks Working Group which monitors acute hospital performance - Abolishes the Department of Agriculture – Live Animal Export Division – Industry Government Implementation Group

Abolishes the Forestry and Forest Products Committee Abolishes the National Surveillance and Diagnostics Working Group

Abolishes the Laboratories for Emergency Animal Disease Diagnosis and Response Working Group

Abolishes the National Strategies Working Group - Abolishes the New Test Evaluation Working Group

Abolishes the Rabies Preparedness Working Group - Abolishes the Subcommittee on Animal Health Laboratory Standards

Abolishes the Australian Defence Force Financial Services Consumer Council - Abolishes the Department of Defence Diversity Advisory Group Abolishes the Committee which was overseeing reform to the repair and maintenance of the Navy’s ships

Abolishes the Department of Defence CEO’s round table - Abolishes the Standing Council on School Education and Early Childhood Joint Working Group to Provide Advice on Students with Disability

Abolishes the Fair Work Building and Construction Independent Assessor - Abolishes the National Precincts Board

Abolishes the Pharmaceutical Industry Working Group - Abolishes the Bureau of Resources and Energy Economics Advisory Board

Abolishes the Inter-Jurisdictional Working Group - Abolishes the Local Government Ministers’ Forum Abolishes the National Disaster Recovery Taskforce

Abolishes the Urban Policy Forum Abolishes the Australian Council of Local Government - Abolishes the Official Establishments Trust

Abolishes the ANZAC Centenary Public Fund Board - Abolishes the Australian National Memorial New Zealand Advisory Panel Abolishes the Community Nursing Clinical Advisory Committee

Abolishes the eHealth Technical - Advisory Group Abolishes the Gulf War Study Advisory Committee

Abolishes the Medicines Advice and Therapeutics Education Services Practitioner Reference Group - Abolishes the Medicines Advice and Therapeutics Education Services Veterans Reference Group

Abolishes the Medicines Advice and Therapeutics Education Services Writing Group - Abolishes the Peacekeepers Study Advisory Committee

Abolishes the research working group Dismantles the Vietnam Veterans Education Centre - Abolishes the Strategic Cross-sectoral Data Committee for Early Childhood, Education and Training Dismantles

the Australian Qualifications Framework Council Wipes out

the Education Investment Fund Advisory Board Cancels the COAG Select Council on Workplace Relations

Abolishes the Antarctic Science Advisory Committee - Abolishes the Bureau of Meteorology Water Accounting Standards Board

Abolishes the COAG Standing Council on Environment and Water Disbands the Commonwealth Environmental Water Stakeholder Reference Panel

Abolishes the Emissions Intensive – Trade Exposed Expert Advisory Committee - Abolishes the Fuel Standards Consultative Committee Disbands the Iconic Sites Taskforce Gets rid of the Indigenous Water Advisory Committee

Abolishes the National Landscapes Reference Committee Disbands the National Marine Mammal - Advisory Committee Abolishes the National Marine Mammal Scientific Committee Disbands the Australia Awards Board Abolishes the Tourism Quality Council of Australia

Disbands the Anti-Doping Research Panel Disbands the Department of Human Services Council on Strategy and Innovation Abolishes the Gas Market – Industry Reference Group

Abolishes the Technical Advisory Committee for the Coal Mining Abatement Technology Support Package Annuls the Infrastructure Coordinator Silences the Northern Australia Indigenous Experts Forum on sustainable Economic

Development Terminates the Expert Advisory Panel on Northern Australia Abolishes the Marine Council Dismantles the Northern

Australia Ministerial Forum Annuls the Regional Australia Standing Council Cancels the Australia in the Asian Century

Advisory Board Abolishes the First Peoples Education - Advisory Group Cancels the Indigenous Development effectiveness Initiative Steering Committee

Abolishes the Aged Care Standards and Accreditation Agency Ltd Cancels the Aged Care Planning Advisory Committee Annuls the Aged

Care Reform Implementation Council Cancels the Healthy Life Better Ageing Committee Silences the Minister’s Dementia Advisory Group

Abolishes the National Children and Family Roundtable Silences the National Injury Insurance Scheme Advisory Group

Abolishes the Australian Financial Centre Taskforce Abolishes the Current and Former Members of the ADF Emerging Issues Forum

Cancels the National Health, Aged and Community Care Forum

Abolishes the Operational Working Party which advises government on the needs of the ex-service community Cuts funding for the National Trade Cadetships programme

Ceases payments to apprentices under Support for Adult Australian Apprenticeships program Abolishes the Australian Workforce and Productivity Agency

Cuts 26 more government bodies down to 6

By Erin Lawson