Opinion piece by Melissa Donnelly, CPSU National Secretary
About this time last year, we saw Prime Minister Anthony Albanese speak emotionally at a press conference in defence of the public sector workers who were working out of a carpark in Hervey Bay. He spoke in support of diligent frontline staff who ensured people affected by the flooding caused by Cyclone Alfred had access to the financial support they needed as quickly as possible.
The Prime Minister emphasised how valued these trained and trusted public sector workers were from agencies including Services Australia, Bureau of Meteorology, National Emergency Management Agency to name just a few.
What we saw was the coming together of a strong public service united for the greater good of our country and its people.
The importance of public sector jobs was at the forefront of the Federal Election political debate. Plans to cut more than 40,000 public sector jobs and working from home rights were central to the Coalition's policies, and ultimately their fate on election night.
In May 2025, Australia by and large voted for a strong and capable public service that could deliver for them and their community. They had started to feel the benefits of a first term Albanese Government's efforts in rebuilding and reinvesting in public sector capacity.
Wait times for students for claims to be processed were reduced to an average of 15 days, compared to 27 in 2021-22; new parents now only wait an average of 4 days for their paid parental leave claim to be processed compared to 17 days in 2021-22 because of these investments. We saw DVA making progress on the backlog of veterans' claims which had blown out to 42,000 under the Coalition Government.
Australian veterans, students, pensioners, jobseekers, new parents, people with disabilities and their families, and people in aged care, were feeling and seeing the difference that a properly staffed and resourced public service makes.
And after enduring hard Coalition years of cuts, outsourcing and privatisation, public sector workers welcomed the investment and support.
Yet here we are one month out from another Labor Federal Budget and public sector workers are again getting nervous. There is a growing sense of unease as some agencies are already facing job cuts and hiring freezes.
We're not talking about a proposal here mentioned around the Cabinet table, or by Angus Taylor and the Coalition - these are real job cuts happening in agencies right now, and the consequences will be felt.
The growing list of agencies cutting back on staff numbers includes the Department of Health, the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, the Department of Education, the Department of Industry, Science and Resources, the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, the Australian Bureau of Statistics, and the Department of Social Services. And in some agencies, these are far from minor cuts. The National Indigenous Australians Agency (NIAA) is cutting more than 20% of its staff, which will undoubtedly impact its ability to deliver on key priorities such as aligning programs and policies with Closing the Gap and community aspirations, and around boosting economic empowerment, housing and food security.
And we are yet to know if the additional funding that brought on 4,000 Service Australia staff who cleared backlogs, brought down call wait times, and sped up processing times will continue.
It cannot be ignored that we are watching the loss of trained and trusted public sector workers in the name of budget savings, while big consulting and labour hire firms continue to pocket millions of dollars for doing public sector work.
The Albanese Government knows that Australians rely on the public service, and that in times of crisis they lean on those public services even more.
In 2024-25, only 75% of agencies set a target for insourcing and a third of those did not meet, or only partially met, their targets. It's clear to the CPSU that many agencies are not taking the government's expectations on insourcing seriously, and that increased pressure and accountability from the government is needed.
The CPSU is calling on the government to direct agencies to stop cutting jobs, and to start being bold and ambitious with the way they approach their obligations under the Strategic Commissioning Framework.
The capability and capacity of our public service is a critical part of our country's resilience infrastructure, supporting communities and government to prepare for, respond to, and recover from crises big and small.
In this Federal Budget we need to see the Government drive down wasteful and expensive outsourcing of public sector work and instead invest in public services.
At a time of geopolitical challenges, cost of living pressures and the fuel crisis, at a time when Australians are already doing it tough, communities need and deserve to have effective and efficient public services in their corner. It would be devastating, and out of step with all their public pronouncements, if this Government undid the important work it started on public sector jobs and capacity.
So, I say to the Government, on behalf of CPSU members, to keep true to the commitments you made - stop the job cuts. And keep your promise to Australians by investing in and supporting Australia's public services.
First published: in the Canberra Times on April 23, 2026 as "Why now is not the time to be cutting public service jobs", By Melissa Donnelly
Licensed by C©PYRIGHTAGENCY. You must not copy this work without permission.
Image credits: Keegan Carroll, Sitthixay Ditthavong, Shutterstock
+612 9394 7600 copyright.com.au
