Labor takes aim at public sector fat cats costing budget $8m

Tasmanian Labor wants to save the budget $8m by abolishing one specific position in government departments that has gained popularity in the past few years, Josh Willie says.

Labor's shadow treasurer Josh Willie speaks to the media at Parliament Square in Hobart on Monday, March 17, 2025.

A Labor government would save the state budget $8m a year by abolishing the position of associate secretaries in government departments, shadow treasurer Josh Willie says.

The positions of secretary and deputy secretary are long-established in the state service, but the position of associate secretary only appeared a couple of years ago. There are currently eight positions, three of which are filled and a hiring freeze is in place.

Mr Willie said with salaries averaging $250,000 a year, associate secretaries had the potential to cost the budget $8m across the four years of the forward estimates.

“As part of a crackdown on wasteful spending to repair Premier Jeremy Rockliff’s budget disaster, a future Labor government would abolish associate secretary positions within the state service,” he said.

“It’s well known that this minority Liberal government has a Covid hangover and has been unable to rein in wasteful and new spending.

“Any ongoing improvements to the state service since these positions were implemented are difficult to identify.”

Mr Willie said trimming the numbers of the senior executive service would be far more efficient than by cutting rank and file public service staff numbers — and would have less effect on services.

“Targeted and thought-out reductions to wasteful spending are a far more effective way to improve the efficiency of the public service than the lazy and inefficient measures proposed by the government, such as blanket hiring freezes and vacancy controls,” he said.

“When the Liberals took office in 2014 there was money in the bank. Eleven years later and Tasmania is on its way to $10 billion in debt.

“The three worst fiscal deficits in Tasmania’s history have occurred under Premier Rockliff, but instead of reining in his wasteful spending he wants to sell of Tasmania’s public assets to pay down his legacy record debt.”

In response to Mr Willie’s press conference, a spokesman furnished a copy of a March 5 press release, in which Treasurer Guy Barnett announced the establishment of a new Efficiency and Productivity Unit.

Originally published as Labor takes aim at public sector fat cats costing budget $8m