The Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) has today welcomed the Albanese Labor Government’s ongoing commitment to rebuilding the Australian Public Service by reducing the expensive overreliance on labour hire and contractors.
The CPSU has been a long-term critic of outsourcing of public sector work given the conflict of interest risks it poses and the adverse impacts it has on employees, workplaces and public service delivery.
People working on labour hire arrangements in the APS are often doing the similar, if not the same work, as their APS colleagues. The differences are that they have no job security, aren’t bound by the APS code of conduct and cost up to 62% more than APS employees.
Many of these labour hire employees could be transitioned across to secure APS employment and the only party that would lose out is the big business making millions off these contracts.
Today’s announcement continues the work of rebuilding public service capacity and capability by putting public service work back where it belongs – in the hands of experienced, transparent and accountable public servants.
The CPSU has called on the Government to ensure that as it reduces labour hire staff and contractors, it increases public service staff to ensure Australians continue to get the support they need.
Quotes attributable to Melissa Donnelly, CPSU National Secretary:
“We know that the Coalition’s outsourcing addiction cost taxpayers billions while also damaging the public services people rely on every day – it was a bad decision for the budget and a bad decision for the public.
“The CPSU has for years worked to put an end to this harmful and wasteful practice in the APS, and we are pleased to see the Albanese Government taking further steps to clean up the mess.
“We’ve seen story after story in recent years of what happens when public sector work and information are placed into the wrong hands. Public services stop serving people and they start serving profit margins.
“Public sector work should always be done by capable, transparent, and accountable public servants.
“Reductions in labour hire and contractors cannot and must not happen without matched increases to public sector staffing.
“We’d like to see those people currently doing APS work via a labour hire arrangement offered a path to secure APS employment.
