A group of short-term call centre staff at Australia’s Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR) are being replaced by a third-party contractor after hitting the maximum allowable tenure for temporary contracts, a move that has drawn sharp criticism from unions. The Community and Public Sector Union warns outsourcing experienced staff undermines service quality for vulnerable people seeking government assistance and contradicts government pledges to bring core work back in-house. DEWR says limited use of labour hire is permitted legally and that contracted staff receive comparable pay and training, but workers and union representatives argue the change risks longer wait times and loss of expertise.
See "‘Gobsmacked’: Australian workplace relations department to replace short-term staff with third-party contractor", Catie McLeod and Jonathan Barrett, The Guardian, February 2, 2026