A Shorten Labor Government will abolish the Liberals’ arbitrary Average Staffing Level (ASL) cap, strengthening capacity and capability within the Australian Public Service.

The ASL cap has become counterproductive, leading to a hollowing out of the public service and sparking a blowout in spending on contractors and consultants.

By abolishing the cap, agencies will be allowed to set their staffing levels based on operational requirements.

Agencies’ overall funding levels will remain capped, meaning there will be no impact on the Budget.

Malcolm Turnbull’s own department has described the ASL cap as “a blunt instrument” and said:
 
“Through removing ASL caps, agencies may have greater flexibility to recruit specialist staff at a reduced cost.”

By imposing an arbitrary cap, the Liberals are forcing Government agencies to spend more taxpayer dollars on less.

Australians with a disability will particularly welcome this announcement – the ASL cap has led to long service delays in the National Disability Insurance Scheme, with people in some areas waiting months for access.

Our plan will help ensure expertise, experience and corporate memory is retained in the public service by encouraging agencies to employ permanent bureaucrats over contractors and consultants.

Australians expect and deserve quality services and value for money, and our plan will help deliver both.