Gary Humphries (ACT, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Defence Materiel) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

asked the Minister representing the Treasurer, upon notice, on 12 September 2011:

(1) Have staffing numbers in agencies within the Minister's portfolio been reduced as a result of the efficiency dividend and/or other budget cuts; if so, in which areas and at what classification.

(2) Are there any plans for staff reduction in agencies within the Minister's portfolio; if so, can details be provided i.e. reduction target, how this will be achieved, services/programs to be cut etc.

(3) What changes are underway or planned for graduate recruitment, cadetships or similar programs, and if reductions are envisaged can details be provided, including reasons, target numbers etc.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Finance and Deregulation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Treasurer has provided the following answer to the honourable senator's question:

Australian Prudential Regulation Authority

(1) and (2) APRA's planned 2011/12 staffing numbers have been reduced by 10 (to 607) due to a reduction in the deficit for which it sought approval.

(3) APRA has no plans to change graduate recruitment in 2012 at this stage.

Australian Taxation Office

(1) The ATO has not specifically reduced staff as a result of the efficiency dividend or other budget cuts.

(2) The ATO's expected full time equivalent (FTE) levels over the next three years are set out below. These expected FTE levels include the Australian Valuation Office (AVO) and the Tax Practitioner's Board (TPB).

The ATO's budget is forecast to increase by $70 million in 2012-13 then reduce by $107 million in 2013-14. Assuming a 9% pay rise over the next 3 years, the ATO estimates that staffing numbers in that period will reduce by 1,284 FTE. To do this the ATO will rely on natural attrition, controlled recruitment and the flexibility provided through its temporary workforce. While there is an increase in the ATO's budget in 2012-13 (as a result of increased funding for a range of new policy initiatives), there is a reduction in FTE driven largely from the cost of pay increases and efficiency dividend. In 2013-14 there is a larger reduction in FTE due to new policy funding for the Strategic Compliance Measures finishing, pay increases and efficiency dividend. The ATO is currently in negotiation on a new Enterprise Agreement.

As Tax Time (July to October) is the ATO's peak workload time, the number of actual staff employed has increased by 249 (1%) from 25,009 at 30 June 2011 to 25,258 at 14 September 2011. Please note this refers to actual numbers of people employed, not FTE figures, and includes part-time staff. Ongoing staff numbers have decreased by 137 (0.5%); non-ongoing staff numbers have decreased by 40 (8%); and irregular/intermittent staff numbers have increased by 426 (18%). All staff numbers/FTE include all ATO, AVO and TPB staff.

Following Tax Time, the ATO plans to reduce overall staffing levels over the remainder of the 2011-12 financial year. To do this the ATO will reduce its temporary workforce, as well as rely on natural attrition, and control recruitment to manage within its budget.

(3) The ATO aims to recruit at least 200 graduates each year depending on budget and business needs. In 2012 the ATO plans on recruiting around 280 graduates. In 2011 the ATO recruited 403 graduates, the highest number ever recruited. This was possible because of additional funding received in the May 2011 Budget for specific compliance activity. Graduate recruitment is a key strategy to invigorate and renew the ATO's workforce.

The ATO also plans to recruit 12 information technology apprentices and cadets, an increase from the eight recruited in 2011.

APS 1 Project

This recruitment project aimed to build and sustain the entry level workforce across all sub-plans, with 126 APS 1s commencing work in May and June 2011. Approximately 70% of placed candidates have a degree or are completing one, 41% are male, 59% are female and 70% are under 30 years of age. The ATO is planning for further similar campaigns to be undertaken each year.

Indigenous programs

The ATO is working to improve its recruitment and development of Indigenous Australians. In 2012 the ATO plans to recruit 6 Indigenous cadets.

The ATO is also planning an intake of 10 school-based trainees for the first year of a school-based traineeship 'Indigenous School to Work' program. This program was previously a three year sponsorship program as part of the Queensland Government Education's toward Employment Program but has been transitioned to create a formal employment pathway into the ATO for Indigenous Australians.

The ATO will also offer a 12 month entry level traineeship program designed to recruit Indigenous jobseekers with limited experience in government. The ATO will pilot the program in selected sites in 2012 before expanding it in 2013.

Disability programs

In 2012, the ATO is implementing a school-based traineeship program to create a formal employment pathway into the ATO for people with disabilities. This will replace the previous two year scholarship program for high-school students which commenced in 2007. The ATO has awarded 18 scholarships since the program started.

The ATO also has a 'Stepping into Program' overseen by the Australian Employers' Network on Disability. This program provides work experience to university students in the final year of their degree who may otherwise find it difficult to obtain experience due to their disability. The ATO started participating in 2007 and have provided placements for 43 students over this time. Continued participation in the program is planned for 2012 with a similar sized intake to previous years.

Community Programs

The ATO also provides a range of work experience and temporary employment programs through its partnerships with external community organisations. These programs enable the ATO to tap into diverse segments of the community and broaden its entry base.

The largest of these programs is Youth to Work, an 18 month program which targets young people aged 17-24 with limited education and/or work experience. To date over 300 young people have been part of the program. Similarly, the Pathways Program, in partnership with a not-for-profit organisation Whitelion, provides 12 months casual work for disadvantaged youth or those who are becoming disengaged from the community.

Other programs target skilled migrants, young mums, and disadvantaged university students and offer a mix of sponsorships, casual and non-ongoing employment opportunities. These programs offer the ATO's business areas a flexible pool of talented workers and the ATO expects the demand for these programs will continue to grow.

Australian Bureau of Statistics

(1) The ABS has not reduced staff numbers in 2011-12. New funding for economic statistics programs and the peak in Population Census cyclical funding have more than offset the impact of the efficiency dividend, resulting in net recruitment rather than reduction in ABS staff numbers over the year.

(2) Towards the end of the 2011-12 financial year, processing of the Population Census will begin to phase down. Over the period May 2012 to December 2012, temporary employment contracts for some 650 non-ongoing staff working at the equivalent of APS1-6 levels will conclude, as scheduled. Some 75 ongoing ABS staff working at APS5- SESB1 levels at the Census Data Processing Centre will progressively move back to mainstream ABS operations over this period. The effect of the latter is expected to slow ongoing staff recruitment demand, rather than result in a need for a program of deliberate ongoing staff reductions.

(3) The ABS has an annual graduate and cadetship intake, and the number of graduates is determined annually by the operational requirements of each area within the ABS. The ABS is expecting to recruit 165 graduates for the 2012 intake. This is a slightly smaller intake than the previous year (180).

Australian Securities and Investment Commission

(1) ASIC reduced staff within the Deterrence and Shared Services areas after a review of ASIC's business functions. These redundancies were unrelated undertaken as a result of changes required in technology, processes and skills to deliver on the recommendations of the review, rather than arising from the efficiency dividend or budget cuts. We also achieved departmental efficiencies by reducing travel expenses, office requisites, consultants, forensic costs, computer expenses and corporate operating costs.(2) At this stage, there are no planned staff reduction initiatives.

(3) The number of graduates recruited in 2011/2012 will remain the same as the 2010/2011 intake of 22. We plan to recruit two indigenous cadets to commence in January 2012. This is the first time ASIC has recruited cadets.

Inspector-General of Taxation

NIL.

Productivity Commission

(1) No.

(2) No.

(3) Nil.

Australian Office of Financial Management

(1) No.

(2) No.

(3) Graduate recruitment is the major recruitment pipeline for AOFM. It is undertaken with a view to workforce plans and varies from year to year. Graduate recruitment targets generally vary from 1 to 5 graduates in any year taking into consideration turnover and work priorities. This process is ongoing and no changes to it are planned.

Australian Competition and Consumer Commission

(1) No.

(2) No.

(3) The number of graduates engaged by the ACCC each year is subject to business area requirements and funding and is determined annually. At this stage the ACCC does not expect to reduce the number of the graduate intake next year.

Royal Australian Mint

(1) The staffing numbers at the Royal Australian Mint have not been reduced as a result of the efficiency dividend and/or budget cuts.

(2) There are no plans for staff reduction.

(3) The Royal Australian Mint has no changes underway or planned for graduate recruitment, cadetships or similar programs.

Corporations and Markets Advisory Committee

(1) No. CAMAC has only 3 full-time staff. It has therefore not reduced staffing numbers as a result of the efficiency dividend and/or other budget cuts, but has made adjustments in other areas.

(2) No.

(3) None. These programs are not suitable for an agency of CAMAC's size.

National Competition Council

(1) The National Competition Council has not reduced staffing numbers as a result of the efficiency dividend and/or other budget cuts.

(2) The National Competition Council has no plans for staff reduction.

(3) The National Competition Council has no changes underway or planned change for graduate recruitment, cadetships or similar programs.