Treasurer Jaclyn Symes vows to ‘deliver results that Victorians expect’, where Pallas did not
New Victorian Treasurer Jaclyn Symes has taken a surprise swipe at her predecessor Tim Pallas in promising to pull off what he could not in slashing thousands of public service jobs.
Victoria
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Treasurer Jaclyn Symes has taken a swipe at her predecessor, promising to accomplish what Tim Pallas failed to do and axe thousands of public service jobs.
Ms Symes on Thursday vowed to take an axe to the public service in a desperate cost saving measure that risks igniting a new bitter industrial dispute with the state’s 55,000-strong public service.
The Herald Sun revealed in 2023 former treasurer Tim Pallas had pledged to sack 5000 public servants in a bid to address soaring debt, but instead the workforce grew from 54,760 in July of that year to 54,839 in June, 2024.
Ms Symes promised she could do better.
“I’m the new Treasurer of the state,” she said on Thursday.
“I’m determined that this process will deliver results that Victorians expect of me.”
It comes amid fears vulnerable Victorians would be put at risk if the cuts were made to key support services, with Ms Symes conceding jobs in some “grey area” programs could face the chopping block.
Public servants have vowed to rally on the steps of parliament over the proposed cuts – first revealed by the Herald Sun – which also prompted an angry backlash from the Community and Public Sector Union who accused the premier of presiding over Trump-style slash and burn politics.
Community and Public Sector Union secretary Karen Batt said the service had found $5bn in savings over three consecutive budgets.
Ms Symes said up to 3000 jobs would be axed as part of the clean-out, expecting the cuts to produce several billion dollars of savings as the government attempts to wrangle net-debt which is forecast to soar beyond $187bn by 2028.
She has ordered all ministers and department heads to find savings but assured the cuts would not impact frontline services and integrity agencies.
The Herald Sun on Thursday revealed the public service was bracing for job cuts of almost double that size, after a wages bill blowout of almost $3bn in one year.
Senior public sector sources said the government was considering cuts of up to 12.5 per cent or potentially more than 6500.
Deputy chair of Victorian Managed Insurance Authority and former Department of Premier and Cabinet secretary Helen Silver will lead the independent review, and is expected to hand a final report to the government by June 30.
Shadow treasurer James Newbury slammed the public service review as a “hoax” and an attempt by the government to shield the public from the “truth of the budget overspend”.
“They’ve found themselves in quick sand again,” he said.
Ms Silver will hand down an interim report in April to allow the government to administer the first round of cuts as part of the state budget, which is due on May 20.
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