fediBB

The PwC fiasco is directly linked to an Abbott-era policy disaster. Here's how.

Back when he was elected in 2013, one of the first policies Tony Abbott implemented was a two-year hiring freeze for the public service.

From The SMH: https://www.smh.com.au/public-service/tony-abbotts-legacy-15000-fewer-australian-public-service-jobs-20150915-gjnh4g.html

"Ousted prime minister Tony Abbott oversaw the loss of about 15,000 public service jobs during his two years in office.

"The latest official staffing count, released just hours before Mr Abbott lost his job on Monday night, shows the federal bureaucracy employed fewer people in June than in the last months of the Howard government eight years ago.

"However, the government also retrenched more than 9100 staff over the past two years to help reach its target."

Despite the deep cuts and surplus promises, the Coalition never delivered even a single federal surplus. Instead, it gave out tax cuts to the wealthy, and Jobkeeper subsidies to the likes of Gerry Harvey. It also spent billions on fossil fuel subsidies and propping up the housing bubble.

Meanwhile, instead of hiring staff in-house, government departments outsourced that work to management consultancies (such as pWc, Deloitte, McKinsey, Accenture and others) at a far higher cost.

Far from reducing government spending, by the final year Morrison was PM, spending on consultants had blown out to $20 billion a year. The total headcount was 54,000 consulting staff: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/may/05/morrison-government-spent-208bn-on-consultants-and-outsourcing-public-service-in-final-year-audit-finds

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