Home Affairs Launches Voluntary Redundancy Program Ahead of Budget

Expressions of interest for voluntary redundancies will close just before the May budget.

A general view of Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, August 2021. Gary Ramage/Getty Images

The Department of Home Affairs is set to cut hundreds of jobs as part of a broader push to reduce public service spending ahead of the May budget.

The department, which oversees immigration, customs and national security, has begun a voluntary redundancy process for staff.

Secretary Stephanie Foster announced the move during an all-staff webinar on April 28. The process has started immediately, with expressions of interest to close just before budget week in early May.

“I am keen to begin the financial year with staff numbers we can afford and a budget that accommodates our financial pressures,” she said, according to the ABC.

“I want to acknowledge the impact this may have across the organisation. It is not an action I take lightly.”

A spokesperson for the Department of Home Affairs confirmed to The Epoch Times that expressions of interest have been invited from eligible ongoing employees.

“The process is open to all eligible APS and Executive Level staff across the Department and Australian Border Force. There are no fixed number of VRs being sought through this EOI,” the spokesperson said.

The department said the decision is part of broader workforce and budget management and not linked to any single issue.

Part of Wider Government Savings Push

The move follows a wider push by the government to rein in public spending.

In November 2025, the Department of Finance directed agencies to identify savings of up to five percent of their annual budgets, asking departments to flag lower-priority spending for potential cuts ahead of cabinet consideration.

The policy has faced scrutiny in Parliament, including during a Senate inquiry in February where Opposition senator James Paterson questioned the approach. Finance Minister Katy Gallagher confirmed the savings exercise was underway.

“We are working with ministers across their portfolios around savings,”she said at the time.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers has also signalled the upcoming budget will focus on restraint while continuing targeted investment. He has also pointed to external factors for the spike in inflation.

“I think Australians understand that neither the government nor the Australian people more broadly have chosen the circumstances of this war,” Chalmers told reporters on April 29.