Tasmanian Labor has accused Premier Jeremy Rockliff of going back on his commitment to protect nurses and other frontline workers from public sector job cuts.
Back in March, the state government implemented a hiring freeze for non-essential roles in the public service to help address budget concerns.
However, Labor claims that a newly released list of job positions from the Health and Education departments suggests that frontline roles are indeed being affected.
Rejected Recruitment Requests Spark Concerns
The list, provided by Treasurer Guy Barnett in response to a parliamentary question from Shadow Treasurer Josh Willie on May 7, details job applications that were denied under the government’s hiring freeze and vacancy control policies since March 3.
“This level of transparency is crucial,” Mr Willie said in Parliament. “We have a government that hasn’t been upfront about how it’s handling the budget.”
Among the 18 rejected requests from the Department of Education, Children and Young People were positions for librarians, project officers, senior communications staff, and an HR manager.
The Health Department saw 16 recruitment requests denied, including for nursing roles, a clinical coordinator, communications staff, and administrative positions.
Other departments — including Justice, Police, Fire and Emergency Services, State Growth, and Natural Resources and Environment — also had unfilled roles.
Labor: Frontline Cuts Break Government Pledge
Labor leader Dean Winter criticised the government, saying it must explain why roles like nursing are being considered non-essential.
“When the policy was first announced, the Premier said frontline services wouldn’t be impacted,” Mr Winter said. “But now we have evidence showing roles such as nurses and librarians are being affected.”
He warned that freezing these positions increases the workload for existing staff and could harm essential services.
“In speaking directly with nurses and the ANMF, it’s clear these cuts are already taking a toll. Either Premier Rockliff has broken his promise, or he doesn’t consider nurses frontline workers — but clearly, they are,” Mr Winter said.
The state government has been contacted for a response.
