"In order to live within our budget next financial year, we will need to further reduce our average staffing level."

Home Affairs Announces Voluntary Redundancies

The Department of Home Affairs, the second-largest Australian government department after Defence, has launched a voluntary redundancy program. Staff were informed via an all-staff webinar by Secretary Stephanie Foster, with expressions of interest closing on the eve of budget week in early May.

Program Details

• Open to all eligible staff up to executive level, with no fixed number of redundancies set.
• Accepted redundancies are expected to be in the hundreds but fewer than 1,000.
• The department employed approximately 15,000 staff as of the announcement.
• Staff allocations include:
  • 9,165 in customs and border
  • 5,343 in immigration
  • 846 in national security and cybersecurity

The Australian Federal Police, ASIO, and other intelligence agencies are not departmental staff and are not covered. The Australian Border Force is included.

Broader Context

This move follows similar redundancy programs at the departments of Education and Social Services, the latter of which also implemented a hiring freeze. In the December 2024 mid-year budget update, the government did not provide extra funding for wage increases agreed to during bargaining, effectively assuming departments would need to reduce staff. The government has also asked departments to identify five percent of spending as "low priority" for potential savings in the May budget.

Official Statements

Stephanie Foster, Secretary of Home Affairs: "In order to live within our budget next financial year, we will need to further reduce our average staffing level… I am keen to begin the financial year with staff numbers we can afford."

Departmental spokesperson: "The decision to implement a VR program is not connected to any one issue but rather is one component of the department's broader workforce and budget management."

Sam McCrone, Community and Public Sector Union representative: "These job cuts risk exacerbating these issues and undermining service delivery. The government needs to step in and direct agencies to look for other ways to save money."