You are moving to Ipswich
PREMIER Campbell Newman has told public servants they will have to move to Ipswich - even if they don't want to.
The Premier admitted on ABC Radio yesterday that many public servants didn't want to work in Ipswich, but with the Ipswich City Council deal locked away by the previous government, they were left with no choice.
Mr Newman said the question of whether 1200 public servants would be relocated to the Icon Ipswich towers was addressed shortly after the election.
"When I became the Premier and Scott Emerson became the Transport Minister we said, well are these transport officials moving up there?" he said.
"The answer was, well they don't want to go, and I said well they will have to because we've committed to spending all this money, or the previous government had.
"The answer was sorry Premier, but under the EBA they don't have to.
"People don't want to go to Ipswich, and Anna Bligh and Andrew Fraser entered a multi-million dollar deal with the Ipswich City Council to relocate to Ipswich, but people don't want to go and the union says they don't have to go."
Together Union secretary Alex Scott hoped to hold urgent talks with Mr Newman about which clauses within the EBA were linked to the relocating staff.
"We are seeking an urgent meeting with the Premier because he's clearly misadvised about the true state of the public service agreements and directives," he said.
"On one hand the Premier says public servants were stripped of their legal collective agreement entitlements through directives, so CBD-based public servants could be relocated to Ipswich."
Construction at the Icon Ipswich site is moving ahead, with Leighton Properties calling for retailers to show expressions of interest for Tower A.
A spokesman said it was hoped an announcement would be made soon on who would open for business later in the year.
Mr Newman confirmed to the QT last month that public servants would call the Icon Ipswich offices home.
