PSA Media Release
24 April 2012
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
News today that the MOBIE super-ministry will look to save millions of dollars on administrative and policy functions runs the risk of losing valuable staff and damaging morale, the PSA says.
State Services Minister Jonathan Coleman said today he expected savings in “corporate services of about $5 million to $6 million a year, and of policy capability of about $2 million to $5 million a year”, in the new Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment.
“We have always been concerned that the creation of the super-ministry, though ostensibly aimed at improving services for business, was in part motivated by cost-cutting, and this announcement confirms those fears,” says PSA National Secretary Brenda Pilott.
“The cuts to policy staff appear particularly misguided. The government has said it wants to strengthen the public sector’s ability to think strategically across issues. Instead it seems to be cutting staff numbers based on a one-size-fits-all model that says all departments should have the same proportion of policy staff – even though the needs of each department will be different.
“In addition, the projected long and unsettling merger process – which the government says could take two years – risks losing experienced staff who are an absolute asset to the government, and also risks creating so much disruption that staff can no longer deliver public services effectively.
“When the new ministry was first floated, we asked the minister to guarantee there would be no forced redundancies. Today we repeat that call. Any reductions in staff should come through, ideally, attrition, and if that fails, through voluntary redundancy, rather than being forced.
“We also want staff to be fully involved in shaping the new ministry, now that it is definitely going ahead. Our members know best how their jobs work and how they could most effectively be carried out in the new ministry – and their input will be crucial.”
