Thursday, 4 December 2025

 Bev McARTHUR (Western Victoria) (12:00): (1173) My question is to the Treasurer. Treasurer, today the government announced that in response to the Silver review, you will cut 1000 jobs. Specifically, from which departments and agencies will these jobs be cut?

 Jaclyn SYMES (Northern Victoria – Treasurer, Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for Regional Development) (12:00): I thank Mrs McArthur for her question and the opportunity to again welcome the report from Helen Silver. As the question has identified, we released the report and the government response today. As part of that response, the government will be reducing the VPS headcount by more than 1000 positions. Mrs McArthur, you are welcome to take a copy of the report. The recommendations are very broad ranging. They cover the broad spectrum of the public service. The jobs do not include frontline services; we have been very clear about that. But it affects every department and several agencies. Her recommendations break down where her recommendations led.

As you will see from the government response, we have accepted the majority of Ms Silver’s recommendations either in full, in part or in principle. There are a couple that we have not accepted. The predominant reason that we have not accepted some of the recommendations is that it would have led to direct impacts on frontline staff and frontline services for the Victorian community. An example of that is she suggested that we cease the doctors in schools program. We are very proud of that program and the health care that it provides kids in their place of schooling. We are not in a position to accept that. Despite the fact that she recommended that perhaps others could deliver that service, we were not confident that slack would be picked up. In answer to your question, Mrs McArthur, which was ‘Where will it impact?’ it is very evident in the report, it is very evident in our response and it is a broad-ranging impact across every department within the government.

 Bev McARTHUR (Western Victoria) (12:02): Treasurer, you have also said that $113 million on consultants will be cut. Which specific consultants will be cut?

 Jaclyn SYMES (Northern Victoria – Treasurer, Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for Regional Development) (12:03): Mrs McArthur, the problem with the question as put is that engaging consultants is usually done project-by-project or for a particular activity that needs to be done. You are implying that there is a particular consultant that is identified. What we have announced in our response to this review is a commitment to further reducing the government’s reliance on consultancy and labour hire by 10 per cent. We have been evidently demonstrating our commitment to reducing consultancies, and this is a further step in that commitment.