Thousands of call centre jobs could be brought in-house after the main public sector union secured a win in its campaign to halt multimillion-dollar contracts to private providers.
Public Eye can reveal that an amendment passed at the 50th ALP National Conference in Adelaide on the weekend has committed federal Labor to ensuring that APS call centre operations are "predominantly undertaken by public sector workers".
The change means that the Albanese government could accede to the Community and Public Sector Union's call for the main offender - the Australian Taxation Office - to stop funnelling taxpayer dollars to labour hire companies and instead "invest in public sector jobs".
The union, which has joined the Fair Work Commission case of a labour hire call centre worker who is challenging his pay discrepancy under "same job, same pay" laws, argues that the outsourcing of "core ATO work" contradicts a policy through which agencies are supposed to be bringing outsourced work back into the public service.
A CPSU analysis of AusTender data estimates that labour hire companies hold contracts worth more than $630 million.
"Labor is committed to putting the delivery of government services back in the hands of the Australian Public Service," the amended section of the 2026 ALP National Platform says.
"We recognise the value that Australians place on human interaction in the delivery of government services, particularly face-to-face contact.
"Labor recognises that call centres and contact centres also deliver critical frontline services to Australians."
The platform says that a Labor government will "continue to enhance government services and identify how to improve the customer experience across platforms" and "engage with users of government services in designing these improvements".
There was plenty more on the APS - including its growing use of artificial intelligence - in the new Labor national platform, which delegates vote on every three years.
Outsourced ATO call centre workers say they are paid up to 40 per cent less than their public service counterparts on the same phone lines, with team leaders employed under labour hire arrangements paid about $31 an hour, compared with more than $52 at the ATO.
But the labour hire companies argue they are providing a service and that it would not be fair or reasonable for them to be ordered to pay workers the same as APS employees.
CPSU National Secretary Melissa Donnelly says outsourced call centre workers are doing "ATO work [that] should be done by ATO employees".
"Right now, millions of Australians are doing their taxes," Ms Donnelly said. "They need to know they are talking to fully trained and trusted public sector employees not outsourced workers being underpaid by profit-driven firms. "The ATO needs to stop outsourcing this core responsibility, and the government should direct them to do just that."
First published in The Canberra Times on July 27 2026 as 'Should be done by ATO employees': call centre jobs come back to headquarters by Miriam Webber, and Dana Daniel
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