Palaszczuk Government honours its commitments on public sector jobs

The latest report on the Queensland Government’s workforce shows that the Palaszczuk Government remains committed to its fiscal principle of growing frontline services in line with population growth.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said Public Service Commission figures for the December quarter reflect her government’s proven economic discipline.

“Population growth in Queensland has increased since last year’s budget to such an extent that we are now on track to see our population crack the five million mark in about the next month,” the Premier said.

“This is the result of more Australians seeing the light and moving here so they can be part of the state with the strongest jobs growth and record exports.

“Budgeted growth in the public service of 1.7% is in line with forecast average population growth of 1.75 per cent.”

The latest quarterly report shows a small decrease of 0.22% (or 33 less full-time equivalent positions to a total of 218,957) in the total public service.

This small decrease reflects the normal reduction in positions associated with the holiday and school vacation periods. There was a similar decrease in December quarter of 2016 of 0.1 per cent.

While there is a small decrease in health FTEs associated with the holiday period of -0.23 per cent in December quarter the number of FTEs is 3,919 higher or 4.9 per cent above the same quarter a year earlier (December quarter 2016).

The strongest growth area was in law and order, with an additional 76 FTE positions mainly due to an increase in the number of custodial correctional officers as part of the Palaszczuk Government’s response to the Sofronoff Parole Review.

There was also an increase of 53 FTEs in Youth Justice Services as part of the Palaszczuk Government’s commitment to transition 17 year olds into the youth justice system, and an extra 40 FTEs in Justice Services largely due to the transition of 17 year olds, the continued rollout of specialist Domestic and Family Violence Courts, and the reintroduction of the Drug Court.

22 extra FTE positions were created in the Department of Transport and Main Roads for school crossing supervisors for new and extended crossing hours across Queensland.

Media contact: Geoff Breusch 0417 272 875