More NSW public sector job cuts on the way as Department of Primary Industries and Regional slash 165 roles.

A new round of sweeping staff cuts have rocked the public sector after the NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development announced on Monday they would slash up to 165 jobs.

A new round of sweeping staff cuts have rocked the public sector after the NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) announced on Monday they would slash up to 165 jobs.

In an email sent to staff from DPIRD secretary Steve Orr on Monday, he said while “no decision will be made” about the total number of staff cuts until “comprehensive consultation is undertaken” with impacted staff and unions, they were expecting to cut around 165 jobs.

The mass redundancies come after the Minns government announced last week nearly 1000 jobs would be axed from Transport for NSW in an effort to trim down the bureaucracy.

Upon winning government Premier Chris Minns launched a review into the state’s bureaucracy. Picture: NewsWire / Jeremy Piper

Upon winning government in 2023 Premier Chris Minns launched a major review of the state’s bureaucracy with the view to slashing the number of senior executives. The effects of that policy are now being felt across government.

The job cuts will affect up to 4 per cent of the departmental workforce, which has a total of more than 4700 staff.

Staff working across multiple areas in the department will be in the firing line, including in agriculture and biosecurity and the regional development and regional programs team, which look after government grants for rural communities.

Staff at the Rural Assistance Authority which handles natural disaster grants are in the firing line. Picture: Supplied

Staff in the Rural Assistance Authority (RAA), which handles the dissemination of natural disaster recovery funds are also staring down the barrel of job losses.

Opposition agriculture spokesman Dugald Saunders called the cuts “gut-wrenching”.

“Not only does it raise alarm bells for our primary producers who are constantly facing threats to our food and fibre, but also to the RAA, the lead agency responsible for rolling out natural disaster grants, which seems ludicrous when you consider the past year,” he said.

NSW National Leader Dugald Saunders called the staff cuts “gut wrenching”. Picture: NewsWire / Nikki Short

A spokesperson for DPIRD said the “changes will include a realignment of staff structures” to ensure the department works in “a sustainable and responsible way”.

“Some staffing changes are related to temporary roles. Other impacts include back office administrative roles and roles where duplication exists,” the spokesperson said.

Since the beginning of Covid to the 2022/23 the number of award staff in the department increased by more than 1000, while the number of senior executives rose by more than 50 to 192.

Originally published as More NSW public sector job cuts on the way as Department of Primary Industries and Regional slash 165 roles.