Bob McMullan (Fraser, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for International Development Assistance) Share this | Hansard source

I will clarify a number of things that I have been able to confirm. The claim that has been repeated today that 300 staff have been cut from key areas of DFAT is not right. As I am reminded, there is a footnote to the table that the member for Goldstein is referring to which states clearly that the 2008-09 average staffing level figures are based on a different methodology for the allocation of resources across outcomes. So staff numbers have shifted between outcomes because of the changed methodology and measurement, but that is not a reflection of change in jobs; it is just a change in presentation. There is a different table in the budget papers—at the back of Budget Paper No. 1—that talks about staffing level outcomes and that indicates that there will be a net increase in the department staff of 17 in 2008-09. There is also an increase in AusAID, but that is separate. This increase reflects the combination of the previously announced staffing reductions to which the member refers, and I will make a comment about that in a moment, and increases in the staff within the department. It comes to a net plus of 17.

My understanding was and my advice now is that no staff have been withdrawn from the UN mission in New York or other multilateral posts. On the United Nations Security Council candidacy, the government are committed to running a serious campaign for a seat. Much of what we need to do in this initial stage can be done from within existing resources, but in future we will allocate some resources to run a campaign. We regard it as a very genuine attempt. It is a high-priority activity for the government and we are looking for and hoping to receive bipartisan support for it. But in this early stage of the campaign what we need to do can be done from within existing resources.

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