The Victorian Government has proposed up to 3,000 public sector job cuts as part of efforts to reduce state spending.
State Treasurer Jaclyn Symes has also launched an inquiry into government spending ahead of the next budget in May.
The 2024/25 state budget forecasts Victoria’s debt will grow to $188 billion by the end of the decade.
The cuts could see around 5% of public service jobs eliminated.
Public service
According to Government data, around 57,000 employees worked in the Victorian Public Service in 2024.
This includes the state’s government departments and administrative offices.
The Government wants to fire around 5% of these workers.
Job Cuts
To identify which jobs will be cut, the Treasurer has ordered a review to identify overlaps and inefficiencies in government services and programs, as well as cuts at the executive level.
Symes said the aim is to reduce the public service’s size to pre-pandemic levels.
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Premier Jacinta Allan confirmed teachers, police, and nurses and doctors will not be considered.
The review is due at the end of June, with interim findings set to inform the Government’s budget in May.
Symes said there would be “some difficult decisions to make”.
She said the Government is in “a process of collaboration and discussion” with the Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) to understand the consequences of its potential decisions.
Symes said the changes aim to “consolidate, eliminate and refocus” government processes.
“Some of those programs that have been around for say 20 years... are just not meeting the needs of the Victorian community,” Symes said.
Union
The CPSU accused the Government of spending taxpayer money on a review to “tell them what [government bodies] to merge”.
In a statement to TDA, CPSU Victorian Secretary Karen Batt said the union has pointed out “unnecessary duplications for years.”
“[The public service] has returned over $5 billion in savings from [the] last three budgets and the bone is bare,” Batt said.
