The Albanese government will shave a further $1 billion off its spending on contractors and consultants over the next four years, in a continuation of the outsourcing savings drive that began in 2022.
Finance minister Katy Gallagher revealed the additional savings in a pre-Budget announcement on Sunday, bringing the planned reduction in external labour hire between 2022-23 and 2027-28 to $4 billion.
The bulk of the new savings, which build on the $3 billion reduction in outsourcing announced ahead of the 2022 federal election, will come from extending the outsourcing crackdown by another year in 2027-28 ($625 million).
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Bringing these things in house is important. However, there is a need for those working in the ICT field to have the protection of membership of a professional society (lets say X) with a sanction bearing code of ethics.
It works like this..
1. ICT workers in the Govt and its outtsourcees are required to be members of a relevant professional society with a sanction-bearing code of ethics and professional conduct.
2. Worker Y is asked to undertake task T which, on their professional view is unachievable or immoral, or creates legal conflicts, etc.
3. Worker Y advises their employer that Y cannot undertake this work since it would bring then into conflict with their code of ethics and professional conduct,and they could, as a result, be expelled from society X. Withe the consequence that they could not work anywhere in the Govt.
Sound crazy?
Except, if that had been in force, maybe people working on Robodebt would have fought harder to stop it.
I have to declare a conflict of interest.But the opinions here are mine, and, as far as I know, do not represent the official position of either of the two societies like X of which I am a member..
which are..
Engineers Australia
Australian Computer Society (I am also Hon Sec, VS VIC Branch).
Karl Reed, FIE Aust, FACS
Is this saving at the cost of delivery? If you don’t delivery anything, or the timeframes are greater, and factor in the APS additional costs, and you cancel programs what is the real saving? Not to mention the cost to the ACT Government in payroll tax and local expenditure and investment by business. The good ICT talent is just working remote or moving elsewhere not for the Government. Try and get an answer from Services Australia if you ring with all those extra people.