The Morrison Government's 11th-hour announcement to fund its policies by cutting back on public services is an extraordinary attack on jobs and essential services.
The CPSU estimates that this will cut 5,500 jobs from the APS over the forward estimates from 2022-23.
Ripping billions of dollars out of the public sector will have a devastating impact on jobs and services, and further reduce the capacity of the APS to support Australians.
At a time when so many in the Australian community rely on essential public services, the Morrison Government has turned its back on the community. It has turned its back on you, the workers who have steered Australia through the pandemic, fires, and floods.
The Coalition's costings indicate $3.3bn will be ripped out of the Australian Public Service over the forward estimates, if it is re-elected on Saturday. This includes $2.7bn through direct funding cuts and $653m through pushing certain superannuation contributions back to agencies. That amounts to cutting 5,500 jobs from the APS.
This stands in stark contrast to Labor's approach to savings in the APS.
Labor has promised that it would cut outsourcing and contractor waste and reinvest those savings in the public sector, rebuilding the capacity of our public services.
Labor has specifically committed to an additional 500 jobs in DVA, 380 in the NDIA and 200 in Services Australia, on top of removing the ASL cap and conducting a service-wide audit of insecure work arrangements which will also allow thousands of casuals and labour hire staff the opportunity for a permanent APS job.
Since being elected in 2013, the Coalition has already ripped $4bn in funding out of the public service and cut 8,000 public sector jobs through efficiency dividends. At the same time, it has handed over $5bn to consultants outsourcing public sector work.
The choice has been made starkly clear today.
