Post by Banker on Apr 12, 2012 6:36:20 GMT 7
ABOUT 470 jobs will be slashed from the Department of Human Services, with a union warning that frontline services will be severely compromised as the Gillard government clamps down on spending in its effort to return the budget to surplus.
Community and Public Sector Union national secretary Nadine Flood said the department would not rule out slashing frontline jobs, which she warned would dramatically affect people who relied on agencies such as Centrelink and Medicare
The cuts were announced in a letter to staff by DHS secretary Kathryn Campbell yesterday, alarming unions.
"We have some 36,600 staff in the department. We estimate we will need to reduce staff numbers by about 470. This is about a 1.3 per cent reduction in our staffing numbers," she said in the email obtained by The Australian.
"We will do this by looking at areas where there is duplication which has arisen through integration, and reducing middle management. We can manage this to some extent by natural attrition and looking to redeploy people to areas of business priority and there will be some targeted voluntary redundancies this year and next year."
Rec Coverage 28 Day pass
Ms Flood said she feared there would be more cuts in the budget.
"These will take effect in the budget, but there's no guarantee that there won't be more cuts in the budget -- this is round one," she said.
DHS staff numbers have dropped from 42,000 in 2010-11 to 38,000 this year and are predicted to drop even further as a result of a range of cuts, including an increase to the efficiency dividend.
It comes after The Australian revealed the Department of Climate Change would scrap up to 300 jobs -- one-third of its workforce -- as Labor clamps down on spending in its effort to return the budget to surplus. Department secretary Blair Comley wrote to all staff calling for applications for voluntary redundancies, citing the "conclusion of a range of programs", the government's efficiency dividend and the need to accommodate wage rises.
News of the cuts came last night as employees of the Department of Regional Australia, Local Government, Arts and Sport braced for job cuts expected to be outlined today in a meeting of staff in Canberra.
It is understood the cuts relate to funding reductions previously ordered by Wayne Swan. But, with the Treasurer having pledged to return the budget to surplus in 2012-13 with major cuts including
the dumping of whole programs, Canberra's bureaucratic circles are bracing for more pain in the budget.
goo.gl/5YhBP
Community and Public Sector Union national secretary Nadine Flood said the department would not rule out slashing frontline jobs, which she warned would dramatically affect people who relied on agencies such as Centrelink and Medicare
The cuts were announced in a letter to staff by DHS secretary Kathryn Campbell yesterday, alarming unions.
"We have some 36,600 staff in the department. We estimate we will need to reduce staff numbers by about 470. This is about a 1.3 per cent reduction in our staffing numbers," she said in the email obtained by The Australian.
"We will do this by looking at areas where there is duplication which has arisen through integration, and reducing middle management. We can manage this to some extent by natural attrition and looking to redeploy people to areas of business priority and there will be some targeted voluntary redundancies this year and next year."
Rec Coverage 28 Day pass
Ms Flood said she feared there would be more cuts in the budget.
"These will take effect in the budget, but there's no guarantee that there won't be more cuts in the budget -- this is round one," she said.
DHS staff numbers have dropped from 42,000 in 2010-11 to 38,000 this year and are predicted to drop even further as a result of a range of cuts, including an increase to the efficiency dividend.
It comes after The Australian revealed the Department of Climate Change would scrap up to 300 jobs -- one-third of its workforce -- as Labor clamps down on spending in its effort to return the budget to surplus. Department secretary Blair Comley wrote to all staff calling for applications for voluntary redundancies, citing the "conclusion of a range of programs", the government's efficiency dividend and the need to accommodate wage rises.
News of the cuts came last night as employees of the Department of Regional Australia, Local Government, Arts and Sport braced for job cuts expected to be outlined today in a meeting of staff in Canberra.
It is understood the cuts relate to funding reductions previously ordered by Wayne Swan. But, with the Treasurer having pledged to return the budget to surplus in 2012-13 with major cuts including
the dumping of whole programs, Canberra's bureaucratic circles are bracing for more pain in the budget.
goo.gl/5YhBP
