The Minns NSW Government has publicly announced a reduction in the overall number of senior executives across the NSW public service, down by more than 350 roles (an 8.3 per cent drop) compared to mid-2023. This is as part of a broader fiscal discipline and efficiency program promised at the 2023 state election to commit to reduce senior executive numbers by 15 per cent over the first term.

This promise, discussed by individual Labor ministers with PSA executives in meetings prior to the election, was something the Public Service Association (PSA) was determined to hold the ministers to.

Post-election certain ministers changed their language around this issue. Although, being opposition, Labor ministers were not privy to all the information. Moreover, a move by then-Premier Gladys Berejiklian made it very difficult to move CEOs and senior executives out of their cushy Liberal-appointed roles. Ms Berejiklian had changed the rules around NSW senior executive tenure, essentially taking them off fixed contracts and making them ‘on-going’, and subject to golden parachute arrangements should they underperform enough to warrant sacking.

The incoming Labor government could not afford to move executives on and appoint new senior managers to execute Labor promises, leaving many Liberal-commissioned projects, such as the Powerhouse Museum relocation and the infamous Rozelle Interchange, in place.

However, through restructuring, machinery of government changes and natural attrition, the Labor promise to reduce the numbers of NSW public service senior management is starting to happen. The catch is PSA’s rank-and-file membership are the babies in the bath water.

The agencies whose staff should start to notice a reduction in seemingly endless layers of bosses are:  WaterNSW, slashing 300 jobs after a regulator decision to lower management (and other staff) numbers; Transport for NSW, sacking 950 staff in back-office purge which includes hundreds of management-level roles; NSW Department of Customer Service is axing up to 40 staff; Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) are cutting at least 165 staff; Service NSW have proposed to removed senior managers in restructuring plans; and the Art Gallery of NSW is executing a budget-driven restructure – although senior managers are barely a blip in this slashing.

“The PSA is across all of these cuts, and delegates and industrial staff have been working tirelessly to reduce the number of rank-and-file roles being cut, and are advocating for more senior management roles to be reduced – as really, that’s where the savings are,” said PSA General Secretary Stewart Little.