ASL

As the federal government announces Australia is transitioning to the ‘next phase’ of its post-COVID fiscal strategy, some departments and agencies have lost staff. 

The federal budget gave $460 million more over four years to the CSIRO. The agency’s average staffing level was also increased by 100.

The federal government’s decision to raise the National Disability Insurance Agency’s public service staffing levels and the appointment of new chief executive Martin Hoffman has been met with cautious optimism from groups representing people with disability and service providers.

CSIRO staff have voiced their concerns over the federal government’s public service staffing cap, arguing that it could harm the organisation in the long term. The coalition’s Average Staffing Level Cap was introduced in the 2015-16 federal budget as an effort to restrict government employment numbers to 2006-07 levels. 

The Commonwealth public sector workforce shrank over the past year in net terms, despite the last budget suggesting it would grow slightly.

Australian Public Service leaders have to work within a strict cap on average staffing levels, even when it seems absurd, but why are independent statutory agencies also applying the limit?

If the Turnbull government is turfed out of office at the next election, its arbitrary cap on Australian Public Service staffing levels will go with

Tight limits on public service workforce growth can make life difficult for agencies whose services to the public experience ever-growing demand, in line with normal

Politicians want AusTender to be more than it is. Finance officials warn expanding it into a full expenditure reporting system would be better served though annual reporting.