Prime Minister announces dramatic cuts to public service departments

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has announced dramatic cuts to the federal government, with five high-paid staffers getting the chop.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has announced a dramatic cut to the public service, dumping a number of government departments in favour of new super departments.

Mr Morrison will slash the number of departments from 18 to 14 in an effort to cut red tape and improve services.

As a result, five high-paid department heads will lose their jobs.

“Having fewer departments will allow us to bust bureaucratic congestion and ultimately deliver better services,” he told reporters in Canberra today.

“This is about getting better services on the ground. Australians should be able to access simple and reliable services, designed around their needs.”

We're putting the needs of Australians at the centre of Government, ensuring access to simple & reliable services. That’s why I've announced major changes to the Public Service today, including reducing the number of government departments from 18 to 14. https://t.co/irWtWnd2VN

— Scott Morrison (@ScottMorrisonMP) December 5, 2019

The following department secretaries have had their jobs axed:

• Renee Leon (human services), who is a top-tier public servant and is paid $775,900 to $864,600 a year, according to The Canberra Times

• Heather Smith (industry, innovation and science), who makes $775,900 to $864,600

• Kerri Hartland (employment), who is paid $720,500 to $775,900 a year

• Mike Mrdak (communications and arts)

• Daryl Quinlivan (agriculture)

Each of the department head makes more money than the Prime Minister, whose salary is $549,300.

Four new mega departments will be created early next year:

• Education, Skills and Employment

• Agriculture, Water and the Environment

• Industry, Science, Energy and Resources

• Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison speaks to the media during a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra today. Picture: Lukas Coch/AAP

The changes will come into effect on February 1 and 10 departments remain unchanged..

There will be no reshuffle to ministerial responsibilities.

The obvious question, and the first one Mr Morrison was asked, was how many public servants will learn over Christmas that they are about to become unemployed.

Mr Morrison said the move wasn’t being made to save money.

“This has not been done as a saving measure, this has been done as a structural issue to better align and bring together the functions of the public service,” he said.

However, asked whether he would guarantee no one would lose their jobs, Mr Morrison noticeably shifted the responsibility for personnel decisions to the departmental secretaries.

“That’s matters for secretaries, and there is nothing in these changes that is a directive to secretaries about making any changes in those areas,” he said.

“Whatever decisions they take, they’re not decisions that the government is taking.”

The sacked head of the federal communications department said he wasn’t given any opportunity to provide advice on a major government shake-up.

Mike Mrdak has spent 32 years in the public service.

“I was told of the government’s decision to abolish the department late yesterday afternoon,” Mr Mrdak said in a memo.

“We were not permitted any opportunity to provide advice on the machinery of government changes, nor were our views ever sought on any proposal to abolish the department or to changes to our structure and operations.”

He said he would work with staff to make the transition as seamless as possible.

“I will keep everyone regularly advised of what is proposed and what is happening,” he said.

“I will do my best with our SES (executive) team to ensure that there is as much certainty as possible for all of you, and our agencies, and a continuity of services for the community we serve.”

Mr Mrdak said Australia had the best public service in the world. “Long may it continue to be so.”

Labor deputy leader Richard Marles urged the Prime Minister to tread carefully.

“Obviously the public service has a very significant role to play and there needs to be stability within the public service,” Mr Marles told Sky News.

“I think it’s really important — particularly at this time, given all the challenges that we’re facing — that the government is managing the public service in a way which maintains stability and ultimately maintains morale.”

Earlier this year, the Prime Minister said the public service needed to “evolve” and in some cases “conventional wisdom needs to be challenged”.

He also called for “congestion-busting” to encourage new ideas on how to improve services.