Forced sackings not an option as public service grows

Despite promises of fiscal restraint and a recruitment freeze, public service numbers have ballooned by 572 positions in the past year

Public Employment Minister Gerry McCarthy said said forced redundancies were off the table.

• Gunner’s pay freeze ultimatum
• Executives may face sack for pay freeze refusal
• 50 public service fat cats facing the sack
• Arafura Games budget blowout amid economic crisis

DESPITE promises of fiscal restraint and a staffing cap, the Northern Territory public service has ballooned by 572 positions in the past year.

The latest State of the Service report from Public Employment Commissioner Vicki Telfer shows the already bloated NT public service swelled to a total workforce of 21,779 full time positions as of June.

That’s a 2.7 per cent increase on last year. In the past decade, the public service has become 22 per cent fatter.

Education added 327 positions in the past year while Territory Families expanded by 99 jobs. According to the report, those increases were “predominantly front line” positions.

Police, Fire and Emergency Services was one of few departments to shed staff, downsizing by 70 positions.

NT announces $11.2 billion in budget cuts

The Gunner Government has repeatedly tried to arrest public service growth to head off rapidly mounting debt.

In April 2018, Treasurer Nicole Manison said the public service would lose 250 positions across five years — but instead it added bulk.

The Government now aims to keep staffing levels at 2018 numbers, which would require hundreds of positions to be cut.

JUST $1 a week: OUR best ever, amazingly cheap NT News subscription deal

But Public Employment Minister Gerry McCarthy said forced redundancies were off the table.

Mr McCarthy said the public service had shed 202 full time equivalent positions since the staffing cap was announced in March.

Mr McCarthy said agencies had until next March to shed staff to meet the staffing cap. Front line positions are exempt from the cap.

IN OTHER NEWS

Opposition Leader Gary Higgins said ministers needed to crack down on departments which continued to expand.
“The Gunner Labor Government has shown time and time again that they have no ability to show any restraint when it comes to budget management,” he said.

“They said they’d put a hiring freeze on the public service, but instead they’ve attempted to save $25 million by giving pay cuts to teachers and police, only to have a $100 million blowout in employee expenses.”