The Department of Premier and Cabinet and Building Tasmania have unveiled proposed restructures that are likely to affect about 150 public servants.
High-level organisational structures were released to staff today as part of machinery of government changes, with detailed structures to follow on Wednesday.
DPAC Secretary Kathrine Morgan-Wicks and Acting Building Tasmania Secretary Shane Gregory said in a joint statement the changes were likely to affect about 10% of the combined workforce of about 1,500.
“We will continue supporting people through the change and we will limit disruption as much as possible,” they said.
They said the priority, once structures were finalised, would be to place as many people as possible directly into roles.
According to the statement, the largest estimated reduction is 51 positions across Building Tasmania’s remaining functions.
Economic development functions, including trade and small business, are expected to lose 36 positions.
Creative industries, sport, events and face an estimated 24 cuts, including seven at Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery
Shared services, which draw on staff from both departments, are expected to lose 29 positions.
The statement shows DPAC’s full-time-equivalent staff numbers have fallen by 142 since March 2025, including functions moved to other agencies.
Building Tasmania’s have fallen by 111 over the same period.
Labor MP Ella Haddad said the cuts were causing “chaos and confusion” throughout the public service.
She said Premier Jeremy Rockliff had put Treasurer Eric Abetz in charge of cutting jobs and services, with 1,700 jobs on the line across the state.
“The premier can try to soften the message as much as he likes, but nothing will soften the impact of Eric Abetz’s blunt $1.5 billion fiscal cleaver,” she said.
Haddad said Abetz had refused earlier this month to rule out forced redundancies.
Abetz hit back at Labor’s criticism of the job cuts.
“This is a sad trope from a desperate Labor party that sent us to an early election based on so-called budget repair,” he said.
“We have been transparent with Tasmanians about this process and are now going about it in a staged, sustainable manner.”
Abetz said the government was building a delivery-focused department that would drive building projects and jobs.
“Labor has delivered no alternative budget, ditched the key policy from the Leader’s budget reply within days and has no plan.”
