The Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) has tonight welcomed the Albanese Labor Government’s ongoing commitment to rebuilding the capability and capacity of the Australian Public Service (APS) with the announcement of 10,800 additional public sector jobs, representing a 6% increase in APS jobs.

Tonight’s announced increase will see more people in secure public service roles, contributing to the delivery of better public services.

This budget is good news for the hundreds of thousands of Australians who rely on our public services every day.

Tonight’s budget includes:

  • 722 more jobs in the National Disability Insurance Agency (or a 14.5% increase in staffing) and 252 more jobs in the NDIS Commission (or a 58% increase in staffing)
  • 408 more jobs in the Department of Agriculture to work in biosecurity (or a 7.6% increase in staffing)
  • 1,481 more jobs in Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (or a 61% increase in staffing)
  • 402 more jobs in the Department of Veterans Affairs (or a 14.7% increase in staffing)
  • 2372 more jobs in the Australian Tax Office (or a 12.9% increase in staffing)
  • 93 more jobs in the Federal Court (or a 7.2% increase in staffing) and 178 more jobs in the AAT (or a 29.6% increase in staffing)
  • 295 more jobs for the Aged Care Regulator (ACQSC) (or a 28.8% increase in staffing)

The budget also contains several other significant commitments, including additional funding to secure the future of our National Collecting Institutions, funding to commence operations of an in-house consulting hub, the establishment of APS Capability Reinvestment Fund and significant investment in the modernisation of government ICT systems.

These job increases and funding boosts will increase the capacity and capability of the APS and help deliver better public services to Australian families and communities.

Since the Albanese Labor Government was elected, the CPSU has secured more than a 10% increase to APS staffing levels.

Much like the previous, tonight’s budget will not solve every issue facing the APS but makes important progress on the task of rebuilding.

The CPSU now looks forward to continuing the work of rebuilding the APS in service wide bargaining where significant improvements to wages and conditions must be negotiated for the Federal Government to fulfill its commitment of becoming a model employer.

Quotes attributable to Melissa Donnelly, CPSU National Secretary:

“The CPSU welcomes the announcement of 10,800 additional APS jobs as part of the Albanese Labor Government’s commitment to rebuilding the public sector in its second budget.

“This budget continues the process of rebuilding the public sector after a decade of attrition and neglect at the hands of the former Coalition Government.

“Frontline public sector workers and the hundreds of thousands of Australians who rely on public services every day saw firsthand the depth of the damage to APS capability and capacity caused by budget cuts, staff caps and an over-reliance on the use of insecure work, consultants and contractors.

“The alternative to investing in public sector staff is to do what Scott Morrison did and throw $21 billion of taxpayer money at self-interested, profit-driven, private companies that are swimming in conflict-of-interest risks.

“In recent days, the Liberal Senator Jane Hume has defended her party’s addiction to outsourcing and attacked the efforts to rebuild APS capacity, all amid the ongoing PwC scandal. The Liberals clearly haven’t learnt their lesson.

“CPSU members fought hard against the former government’s agenda and have continued that fight to ensure public services remain a priority under the current government.

“The commitments included in the Albanese Government’s second budget are a result of CPSU members’ steadfast commitment to building the public service up to where the community needs them to be.

"While tonight is another positive budget night for the public sector, there is more work to be done. Staffing levels in critical areas such as Services Australia are still well below where they need to be. There is also significant ongoing work required to move labour hire and outsourced jobs back into the APS.

“The task of rebuilding the public service must continue, where significant improvements to wages and conditions must be achieved to ensure the Commonwealth walks the walk on wages and its commitment to becoming a model employer.

Media contact: Tori McGregor 0429 000 620