Jim McIlroy, Brisbane
The Coalition government's plans to create a new federal "super-ministry" — the Department of Human Services (DHS) — has been met with concern by public sector workers worried that it will involve outsourcing or privatisation of agencies such as Centrelink.
The new department, under minister Joe Hockey, "will bring together six agencies that in total administer $80 billion of human services each year: Centrelink, Health Insurance Commission, Child Support Agency, Health Services Australia, Commonwealth Rehabilitation Services and Australian Hearing", according to an October 22 media release by the prime minister.
The new ministry is expected to be part of a substantial reorganisation, and a policy shift for the government on welfare. Changes are likely to include a single welfare regime for the unemployed, the disabled and single parents, as recommended by the 2000 McClure report into welfare reform. The Coalition has attempted to do this before, but was blocked by a hostile Senate — no longer a problem for it.
The government is also likely to make changes to the family payment system.
Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) national secretary Adrian O'Connor said on October 22: "One of the central issues in service delivery agencies has been ensuring they have sufficient resources to get the job done. In Centrelink, there has been a real issue about workloads and staffing levels. While the requirements for implementing the government programs are increasing, the workforce hasn't increased to meet that demand."
An October 27 CPSU Bulletin stated that the union is seeking guarantees from the government that pay and conditions of employment under existing agency industrial agreements will be maintained. The bulletin said that the CPSU will seek answers about longer term issues such as: "What happens to your pay and conditions when your current agreement expires? Will there eventually be a single agreement for all DHS staff?"
PM John Howard has fuelled fears of job cuts by stating that he expects the reorganisation will result in "some efficiencies". While he has denied that "things like Centrelink" will be privatised, staff remain suspicious that services may be outsourced to the private sector.
As CPSU members in Centrelink and some other agencies prepare to negotiate their next agency agreement, job security, staffing and working conditions will need to be high on the agenda.
[The writer is a CPSU delegate at a Centrelink call centre.]
From Â鶹´«Ã½ Weekly, November 3, 2004.
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