Gary Humphries (ACT, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Defence Materiel) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

asked the Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills, Science and Research, upon notice, on 18 September 2012:

In regard to the 2012-13 financial year:

(1) What is the net financial effect on the department ' s budget of: (a) the original 1.5 per cent efficiency dividend; (b) the additional 2.5 per cent efficiency dividend; and (c) other savings measures as introduced in the 2012-13 Budget papers.

(2) What measures or strategies are being considered to ensure continued operation within the budget and efficiency dividend targets of the department.

(3) What percentage of total expenditure is represented by staff costs.

(4) Is a net reduction in: (a) staff; and (b) consultants and/or contractors, expected for the financial year; if so, can a quantitative total for each reduction be provided.

(5) How many: (a) voluntary redundancies; and (b) involuntary redundancies, are expected to be executed.

(6) What is the current distribution of full-time equivalent staff across classification bands.

Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The answer to the honourable senator's question is as follows:

(1) (a) and (b) The impact of the original 1.5 per cent and the additional 2.5% efficiency dividends on the former Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research in 2012-13 are $3.3 million and $8.3 million respectively. The funding that transferred from the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations as a result of the machinery of government changes in December 2011, was net of the efficiency dividend impact, therefore it is not possible to accurately quantify the impact of the efficiency dividend over the forward estimates. It is estimated to be in the order of $20 million from 2012-13 to 2015-16 or $5 million per year.

(1) (c) The impact on the department in 2012-13 from other savings measures announced in the 2012-13 Budget papers is $0.156 million

(2) The Department will in the first instance seek to manage the impacts of the efficiency dividends through further cost savings and natural attrition in staffing levels. The Department will continually seek to find further reductions in discretionary expenditure.

(3) Staff costs represent 58 per cent of total departmental expenditure.

(4 ) ( a) The net movement in staff is expected to be around 150 staff due mainly to natural attrition. (b) Whilst reductions in consultants and contractors are expected for the financial year, at this stage the exact impact is yet to be determined.

(5) If required, the Department will seek to redeploy staff across the organisation where possible, hence voluntary or involuntary redundancies are not planned for at this stage.

(6) Due to System limitations, the Department is only able to provide the headcount figures of staff across band classifications as at 30 June 2012.