24-05-2025
Tasmanian government accused of freezing nursing and other frontline service jobs
Tasmanian Labor has accused Premier Jeremy Rockliff of breaking his promise to exclude nurses and frontline services from job cuts.
In March, the state government announced a hiring freeze for non-essential public service positions in an effort to reel in the state's finances.
But Labor said a recently released list of recruitment roles from the Health and Education departments painted a different picture.
The list, provided by Treasurer Guy Barnett in response to a question Shadow Treasurer Josh Willie asked in parliament on May 7, shows job requests that have been rejected under the state government's vacancy-control and hiring-freeze policies.
It outlines recruitment requests not approved since March 3 this year.
"This is an important transparency measure. We have a government that has been less than transparent when it comes to managing the budget," Mr Willie told parliament on May 7.
For the Department of Education, Children and Young People, there have been 18 requests not approved, including for roles such as librarians, project officers, senior communications officers and a human resources manager.
In the Health Department, 16 roles have not been filled. They include nursing staff, a clinical coordinator, communications advisers, and administration roles.
There have also been several roles not filled in the Justice, Police, Fire and Emergency Services, State Growth and Natural Resources and Environment departments.
Labor leader Dean Winter said the state government needed to explain how roles such as nurses were not essential.
"Having positions like nurses affected by a freeze puts more pressure on other staff. And, speaking with nurses directly, particularly through the ANMF [Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation], I know these are cuts they can't afford.
"So either the government, Jeremy Rockliff, has broken his promise, in terms of frontline resources, or they don't believe that nurses are frontline workers … [but] of course they are. They've broken their promise."
The state government has been contacted for comment.
