APS & ACT Government Voluntary Redundancy Rounds: Agency-by-Agency Tracker
Which departments are offering voluntary redundancies, at what scale, and what stage each round is at — every verified federal APS and ACT Government round, and every federal agency with a verified redundancy figure, in one place, with every figure labelled by type and linked to its source.
As at 22 October 2026, 23 federal agencies, plus the ACT Government, have announced a voluntary redundancy round or have a published redundancy figure. Not all 23 ran a round. Home Affairs, Education, the NIAA and DCCEEW, among others, opened rounds to expressions of interest or applications; the ABS made formal offers; PM&C made targeted offers. Others provided them without an announced round: asked by the Senate whether it had undertaken any voluntary redundancy rounds, the Treasury answered “No”, and Health said it has not undertaken a central voluntary redundancy program. Separately, agencies’ written answers to the Senate (covering January to early June 2026) show 17 smaller agencies that each provided between one and four voluntary redundancies, also without an announced round; with 22 of the 23 agencies above (all but the ABS, which has published no figure for its program), that makes 39 federal agencies with a finalised or approved figure. Most headline numbers are expressions of interest, not confirmed exits. The tables below track every agency, with sources, checked weekly. Figures from the 26 to 29 October 2026 Senate Estimates hearings are added as the transcripts are published.
Services Australia voluntary redundancy figures (checked 29 October 2026): the agency reported 5 APS employees received a voluntary redundancy between 1 January and 31 May 2026; separately, APSC Table 72 records 28 retrenchments of ongoing employees for the year to June 2026, without a voluntary/involuntary split; the periods overlap, so the figures should not be added together.
How to read these numbers: 2,000 EOIs is not 2,000 redundancies
Published redundancy figures come in five different types, and they are not interchangeable:
- EOIs Expressions of interest / applications — staff who put their hand up. Home Affairs’ 1,938 is this type; the 713 who left is not.
- Offers Offers made — the agency has formally offered a VR (for example, the APSC’s 33 offered by May 2026).
- Approved Approved, not yet departed — the agency has agreed to the redundancy but the person has not necessarily left (the NIAA’s 56 executive-level staff who accepted offers to leave).
- Finalised Finalised departures — people who have actually left (Social Services’ 302, Education’s 92).
- Target Targets and scale statements — announced intent, not yet people (the ACT’s CED round of ~130 roles).
Reporting that mixes these up badly overstates what is actually happening. Every figure in the tables below carries its type. Where an agency tells the Senate in a written answer that it has “provided” or “processed” voluntary redundancies, or that staff have “separated”, we record the figure as finalised departures and give the agency’s own period and answer.
What is Senate Estimates, and when do agencies report?
Senate Estimates is the process in which Senate committees consider the government’s estimates of expenditure, as part of the annual budget cycle. Each government portfolio is allocated to one of eight committees. The latest round, Supplementary Budget Estimates 2026–27, ran from 26 to 29 October 2026. As at 22 October 2026, hearing programs had been published for all eight committees. Senators’ written questions on notice are due by 5 November 2026, and agencies’ answers by 17 December 2026.
- Monday 26 and Tuesday 27 October: Finance and Public Administration (on this tracker: Finance, PM&C, the APSC, the NIAA and Services Australia); Legal and Constitutional Affairs (Attorney-General’s and Home Affairs); Environment and Communications (DCCEEW and the MDBA); Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport (Agriculture and Infrastructure).
- Wednesday 28 and Thursday 29 October: Community Affairs (Health and Social Services); Economics (the Treasury portfolio, including the ATO, ABS and ACCC, and Industry, Science and Resources, including CSIRO); Education and Employment (Education, DEWR and the Fair Work Ombudsman); Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade (Defence and DFAT).
Officials sometimes give figures at the hearings themselves. Many figures arrive later, as written answers to questions on notice. After the May–June 2026 hearings (25 to 28 May and 2 to 5 June), Senator Jane Hume asked departments and agencies in writing whether they had provided any voluntary redundancies since 1 January 2026. The answers were due on 17 and 24 July 2026; most were published on the Parliament’s questions on notice database in July, and some in August and September. Each answer covers the period the agency chose, which is why the figures marked “Senate answer” in the table below run to different end dates.
Sources: Parliament of Australia, Senate estimates: next hearings; Parliament of Australia, Senate estimates and the questions on notice database (both checked 22 October 2026).
Which federal departments are offering voluntary redundancies?
Every federal agency with a verified voluntary redundancy round or redundancy figure, as reported by the agency in its written answers to Senate estimates questions or by the publications linked in each row. Four of them (CSIRO, the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation, the Parliamentary Budget Office and the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust) are not counted in the APSC’s APS employment data.
| Agency | Announced | Scale (by figure type) | Status (as reported) | Source (as reported) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Department of Home Affairs (incl. Border Force) | Late April 2026 | Finalised 713 staff accepted voluntary redundancy offers and were paid, from 818 offers and 1,938 expressions of interest (1,939 at the 27 October hearing). The expressions of interest came from more than one in ten of the department’s 16,611 staff (expressions of interest by group, per its answer to the Senate: Border Force 735; within the department, Immigration 715, the Chief Operating Officer and Technology groups 347, National Security 81 and other groups 60). The largest completed round on this tracker. At Senate Estimates on 27 October 2026, officials said the program was finalised: 818 offers were made and 713 staff accepted, at a cost of $70.5 million, 440 of them in the department and 273 in the Australian Border Force. Earlier reporting (Canberra Times, 14 September 2026) put the round at 679 payouts. The department’s separate answer on voluntary redundancies provided reports one between 1 January and 31 March 2026, a period that ends before the round was announced. | Round complete. The department confirms it has no plans to run another voluntary redundancy program in 2026-27. | Senate answer, QoN BE26-0027 (aph.gov.au, 21 Aug 2026) · Senate answer, QoN BE26-0405 (aph.gov.au, 24 Jul 2026) · Canberra Times, 29 Apr 2026 · Canberra Times, 1 Jun 2026 · Canberra Times, 14 Sep 2026 · Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee, proof Hansard, 27 Oct 2026 |
| Department of Social Services | FY2025-26 round | Finalised 302 voluntary redundancies, 1 July 2025 to 31 May 2026 — the second-largest round on this tracker. The department told the Senate that 302 APS and Executive Level staff accepted a redundancy payment over that period (100 at EL 1, 80 at APS 6, 61 at APS 5, 44 at EL 2, 16 at APS 4 and 1 at APS 3) and that it paid $26,614,543.57 in voluntary redundancy payments; the highest single payment was $188,687.78. That total replaces the “approximately $20 million” given at the hearing. | Completed (FY2025-26) | Senate answer, QoN DSS SQ26-000438 (aph.gov.au, 24 Jul 2026) · Senate answer, QoN DSS SQ26-000699 (aph.gov.au, 24 Jul 2026) · Canberra Times, 13 Jul 2026 · Canberra Times, 5 Jun 2026 |
| Department of Education | Late March 2026 (all ~1,800 staff eligible) | Finalised 92 departures in 2025-26, up from 34 in 2024-25 and 17 in 2023-24. Education secretary Tony Cook put the number who took voluntary redundancies in 2025-26 at 89, as reported by The Canberra Times on 30 October 2026 in its coverage of the October Senate Estimates hearings; that differs from the 92 above, and the figure will be checked against the hearing transcript once it is published. | FY2025-26 round complete; watch for a new 2026-27 round | Canberra Times, 26 Mar 2026 · Canberra Times, 13 Jul 2026 · Canberra Times, 30 Oct 2026 |
| Services Australia | Ongoing — no single announced round | 25 VRs accepted in the 11 months to 31 May 2026, at a cost of $2.59m, as reported by The Canberra Times (13 July 2026). Finalised 5 APS employees received a voluntary redundancy, 1 January to 31 May 2026 (the agency’s answer to the Senate), a shorter window inside the 11 months; not added to the total. Finalised Year to June 2026: APSC Table 72 records 28 retrenchments of ongoing employees at Services Australia. The table does not separate voluntary from involuntary redundancies. The reporting period overlaps those above, so this figure is not added to the tracker total. Checked 29 October 2026. | Ongoing, small-scale | Senate answer, QoN SA SQ26-000209 (aph.gov.au; answer due 17 Jul 2026) · Canberra Times, 13 Jul 2026 · APSC APS Employment Data 30 June 2026, Table 72 (published 30 Sep 2026) |
| Dept of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water | EOIs open by April 2026 | EOIs ~230 staff had applied by early June (workforce ~5,000). Finalised 9 voluntary redundancies provided, 1 January to 31 May 2026 (the department’s answer to the Senate). A separate answer says 9 Australian Antarctic Division employees have accepted a voluntary redundancy, 3 of them from the research scientist stream; it does not say whether they are within the 9 above. | EOI phase closed; 9 provided to 31 May 2026 | Senate answer, QoN SQ26-000564 (aph.gov.au, 20 Jul 2026) · Senate answer, QoN SQ26-000709 (aph.gov.au, 20 Jul 2026) · Canberra Times, 13 Apr 2026 · Canberra Times, 1 Jun 2026 · Canberra Times, 11 Sep 2026 |
| National Indigenous Australians Agency | Early 2026 (among the first agencies); outcome confirmed 23 Sep 2026 | Approved 109 executive-level staff applied; 56 accepted offers to leave, cutting the senior management rank by more than 7.5%. The agency’s own wording is “accepting offers to leave”, so this is recorded as approved rather than finalised — the agency has not published how many have since departed. Finalised Separately, the agency told the Senate it had provided nine voluntary redundancies from 1 January to 26 May 2026 (“Yes – Nine to 26 May 2026”). It does not say whether they are among the 56, so the two are not added together. | Round closed — the NIAA says it “does not have restructuring targets” and that “no further voluntary redundancies or reclassifications are planned” | Senate answer, QoN NIAA0181 (aph.gov.au, 20 Jul 2026) · Canberra Times, 23 Sep 2026; earlier EOI report 1 Jun 2026 |
| Australian Public Service Commission | By May 2026 | Finalised 30 voluntary redundancies processed for staff members who have separated from the agency, 1 January to 1 June 2026 (the APSC’s answer to the Senate). Earlier reporting put the round at 33 offered as at 13 May 2026. | Departures confirmed in the APSC’s answer to the Senate | Senate answer, QoN 0776 (aph.gov.au, 20 Jul 2026) · Canberra Times, 1 Jun 2026 · Canberra Times, 11 Sep 2026 |
| Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet | Confirmed 13 April 2026 | Finalised 8 voluntary redundancies provided, 1 January to 31 May 2026 (the department’s answer to the Senate). Targeted round — offers made to specific positions rather than an open call. | Targeted round; 8 provided to 31 May 2026 | Senate answer, QoN 0936 (aph.gov.au, 14 Jul 2026) · Canberra Times, 13 Apr 2026 · Canberra Times, 11 Sep 2026 |
| Australian Bureau of Statistics | Confirmed 13 April 2026 | None published APS 1 to EL 2 eligible; stated purpose is aligning staffing with available funding while safeguarding the 2026 Census. The Treasury portfolio’s answer to the Senate lists the ABS among agencies with nil voluntary redundancies to report for 1 February to 31 May 2026 (January is in an earlier answer). Its 2025-26 annual report says the ABS began an expression-of-interest process before 30 June 2026 and made formal offers after that date, and that employee acceptances were still in progress when its financial statements were signed. No figure has been published. | Formal offers made after 30 June 2026, acceptances in progress (ABS annual report 2025-26); nil voluntary redundancies reported to the Senate for 1 Feb to 31 May 2026 | Senate answer, QoN SQ26-000399 (aph.gov.au, 7 Aug 2026) · Canberra Times, 13 Apr 2026 · ABS Annual Report 2025-26, financial statements (events after the reporting period) |
| Department of Finance | FY2025-26 | Finalised 5 redundancies in 2025-26, at ~$667,000. Finance’s answer to the Senate separately reports two voluntary redundancies provided by the department between 1 February and 31 May 2026 (January is in an earlier answer); that period overlaps the 2025-26 figure, so the two are not added together. | Completed (FY2025-26) | Senate answer, QoN F252 (aph.gov.au, 23 Jul 2026) · Canberra Times, 13 Jul 2026 |
| Department of Infrastructure | FY2025-26 (initially favoured redeployment) | Finalised 7 staff by March 2026. In the Canberra Times’ words, the department “managed a localised approach that meant seven staff stepped down by March”. | Small-scale / completed | Canberra Times, 26 Mar 2026 · Canberra Times, 13 Jul 2026 |
| Department of Health | FY2025-26 (initially favoured redeployment) | Finalised 9 separations in 2025-26. The department’s answer to the Senate separately reports four voluntary redundancies provided between 1 January and 2 June 2026; that period overlaps the 2025-26 figure, so the two are not added together. The department also told the Senate it “has not undertaken a central voluntary redundancy program”. | Small-scale / completed | Senate answer, QoN SQ26-003195 (aph.gov.au, 29 Jul 2026) · Senate answer, QoN DHDA SQ26-002808 (aph.gov.au, 26 Aug 2026) · Canberra Times, 26 Mar 2026 · Canberra Times, 13 Jul 2026 |
| Dept of Employment and Workplace Relations | Confirmed 1 May 2026 | Finalised 56 voluntary redundancies in the first three months of 2026 (the department’s answer to the Senate: “Between 1 January 2026 and 31 March 2026 there were 56 voluntary redundancies”). Approved 2026-27: “As of 23 October, the department has made formal voluntary redundancy offers to 101 employees this financial year, of which 91 have been accepted,” the Secretary told Senate Estimates on 28 October 2026, as reported by The Canberra Times. The hearing transcript is not yet published, so this is not yet added to the total. For the full year 2025-26, The Canberra Times (28 October 2026) reports 103 voluntary redundancies at the department; that period overlaps the 56, so it is not added either. | Ongoing — framed as a “workforce lever”; figure confirmed in its answer to the Senate; a 2026-27 round of offers is under way (Senate Estimates, 28 October 2026) | Senate answer, QoN SQ26-001492 (aph.gov.au, 29 Jul 2026) · Canberra Times, 1 May 2026 · Canberra Times, 11 Sep 2026 · Canberra Times, 28 Oct 2026 |
| Attorney-General’s Department | Confirmed 1 May 2026 | Finalised 3 voluntary redundancies provided, 1 January to 31 May 2026 (the department’s answer to the Senate; its figure includes the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion). Earlier reporting (1 May 2026) described 3 VRs offered within its Enabling Services Group. | Small-scale | Senate answer, QoN BE26-301 (aph.gov.au, 21 Jul 2026) · Canberra Times, 1 May 2026 |
| Department of Industry, Science and Resources | Confirmed 1 May 2026 | Finalised 16 voluntary redundancies provided, 1 January to 31 May 2026 (the department’s answer to the Senate), up from 3 processed by February 2026 in earlier reporting. | 16 provided to 31 May 2026 | Senate answer, QoN BI-211 (aph.gov.au, 11 Aug 2026) · Canberra Times, 1 May 2026 |
| Fair Work Ombudsman | By March 2026 | Finalised 3 voluntary redundancies provided to FWO employees, 1 January to 31 March 2026 (the agency’s answer to the Senate). Offers 12 staff were offered voluntary redundancies, according to the agency’s answer to a question taken on notice at the 2 June 2026 hearing (“Of the 12 staff that were offered voluntary redundancies, 6 have more than 5 years of experience, and 6 have more than 10 years of experience”). The two are different measures and the 12 has no stated period, so both are shown and only the 3 counts towards the total. Finalised Full year 2025-26: the FWO’s annual report says 13 employees separated from the agency under its voluntary redundancy program, which was open to Executive Level 1, Executive Level 2 and Senior Executive Service staff. The report’s 13 is higher than the 12 offered in the Senate answer, and the report does not explain the difference. A different period and source, so not added to the total. | 3 provided to 31 Mar 2026; 12 offered (answer published 12 Aug 2026); 13 separated under the program in 2025-26 (annual report, tabled 28 Oct 2026) | Senate answer, QoN SQ26-001458 (aph.gov.au, 12 Aug 2026) · Senate answer, QoN SQ26-000955 (aph.gov.au, 12 Aug 2026) · Canberra Times, 26 Mar 2026 · Canberra Times, 29 Apr 2026 · Fair Work Ombudsman Annual Report 2025-26, p. 67 (tabled 28 Oct 2026) |
| CSIRO | Ongoing (pre-dates the 2026 wave) | Finalised 4 voluntary redundancies provided, 1 January to 31 May 2026 (Industry portfolio answer to the Senate). | Ongoing | Senate answer, QoN BI-211 (aph.gov.au, 11 Aug 2026) · Canberra Times, 5 Jun 2026 · Government News, 1 May 2026 |
| ACCC | — | Not a VR round Hiring freeze — included for context. | Hiring freeze | Canberra Times, 29 Apr 2026 |
| Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry | Senate answer published 17 Jul 2026 | Finalised 15 voluntary redundancies, 1 January to 30 April 2026 (the department’s answer to the Senate question asking how many voluntary redundancies it had “provided”). In a second answer, to a question taken on notice at the 27 May 2026 hearing, the department said 15 voluntary redundancies were “offered and accepted” from 1 July 2025 to 30 April 2026, with no formal offers declined. | 15 to 30 Apr 2026 | Senate answer, QoN SQ26-000491 (aph.gov.au, 17 Jul 2026) · Senate answer, QoN SQ26-000278 (aph.gov.au, 17 Jul 2026) · Canberra Times, 11 Sep 2026 |
| Murray-Darling Basin Authority | Senate answer published 20 Jul 2026 | Finalised 8 voluntary redundancies provided, 1 January to 31 May 2026 (Climate Change portfolio answer to the Senate). | 8 provided to 31 May 2026 | Senate answer, QoN SQ26-000564 (aph.gov.au, 20 Jul 2026) · Canberra Times, 11 Sep 2026 |
| Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade | Senate answer published 29 Jul 2026 | Finalised 7 voluntary redundancies provided, 1 January to 31 May 2026 (the department’s answer to the Senate). | Small-scale | Senate answer, QoN 097 (aph.gov.au, 29 Jul 2026) · Canberra Times, 11 Sep 2026 |
| Department of Defence | Senate answer published 28 Jul 2026 | Finalised 5 voluntary redundancies from the Australian Public Service at Defence, 1 January to 14 June 2026 (the department’s answer to the Senate). | Small-scale | Senate answer, QoN 249 (aph.gov.au, 28 Jul 2026) · Canberra Times, 11 Sep 2026 |
| The Treasury (federal) | Senate answer published 7 Aug 2026 | Finalised 5 voluntary redundancies provided, 1 February to 31 May 2026 (Treasury portfolio answer to the Senate; January is reported in an earlier answer). Asked separately whether it had undertaken any voluntary redundancy rounds, Treasury answered “No”. Distinct from the ACT’s Chief Minister, Treasury and Economic Development Directorate. | Small-scale | Senate answer, QoN SQ26-000399 (aph.gov.au, 7 Aug 2026) · Senate answer, QoN SQ26-000308 (aph.gov.au, 28 Jul 2026) · Canberra Times, 11 Sep 2026 |
| Australian Taxation Office | Senate answer published 7 Aug 2026 | Finalised 4 voluntary redundancies provided, 1 February to 31 May 2026 (Treasury portfolio answer to the Senate; January is reported in an earlier answer). Finalised Full year 2025-26: the ATO’s annual report records 14 ongoing employees who left because of redundancy, up from 13 in 2024-25. A different period and source, so not added to the total. | Small-scale | Senate answer, QoN SQ26-000399 (aph.gov.au, 7 Aug 2026) · Canberra Times, 11 Sep 2026 · Commissioner of Taxation Annual Report 2025-26, Table 5.20 (tabled 26 Oct 2026) |
| Other federal agencies (Senate answers) | Senate answers published 17 Jul to 9 Sep 2026 | Finalised 30 voluntary redundancies across 17 smaller agencies, each telling the Senate it provided between one and four (each agency’s own period). 1 January to 31 May 2026: IP Australia 4; Clean Energy Regulator 2; NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission 2; the Federal Court of Australia, Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia and National Native Title Tribunal 2 (reported together); Administrative Review Tribunal 1; Bureau of Meteorology 1; NOPSEMA 1; Sydney Harbour Federation Trust 1. 1 January to 2 June 2026: National Health and Medical Research Council 2; Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission 1. 1 January to 30 April 2026: Fisheries Research and Development Corporation 1. 1 February to 31 May 2026 (January is in earlier answers): Australian Financial Security Authority 3; Productivity Commission 3; Australian Electoral Commission 1. Since 1 January 2026, no end date given: Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission 2; Workplace Gender Equality Agency 2; Parliamentary Budget Office 1. | Small numbers, not announced rounds. The NDIS Commission says it is “not conducting a round of voluntary redundancies” and considers them case by case | Senate answers (aph.gov.au): QoN BI-211 (11 Aug 2026) · QoN SQ26-000564 (20 Jul 2026) · QoN QSC SQ26-000282 (14 Aug 2026) · QoN QSC SQ26-000139 (14 Aug 2026) · QoN BE26-301 (21 Jul 2026) · QoN NHMRC SQ26-004158 (29 Jul 2026) · QoN ACQSC SQ26-003341 (10 Aug 2026) · QoN SQ26-000491 (17 Jul 2026) · QoN SQ26-000399 (7 Aug 2026) · QoN F345 (9 Sep 2026) · QoN BE26-0925 (24 Jul 2026) · QoN 0632 (20 Jul 2026) · QoN PBO97 (17 Jul 2026) |
Agencies not listed (for example the Department of Veterans’ Affairs) had no verified voluntary redundancy round in the public record as at 22 October 2026 — absence from this table means no confirmed round or redundancy figure, not a confirmed absence.
Retention periods and involuntary redundancy
This tracker records voluntary redundancies. APS enterprise agreements also set out what happens when an employee who has been formally identified as excess declines a voluntary redundancy offer: a retention period, during which the agency tries to redeploy them. Under the Australian Taxation Office’s agreement, for example, the period starts the day after the offer is declined and lasts 13 months for employees with 20 or more years of service or aged 45 or over, and seven months for everyone else, reduced by the employee’s redundancy pay period under the National Employment Standards (the agreement also has an alternative in which the full period applies and pay is reduced instead). If there is not enough productive work and no reasonable redeployment prospect in the APS, employment can then be terminated involuntarily under section 29 of the Public Service Act 1999. Terms differ between agencies’ agreements: the National Archives agreement, for example, can start the period from the day the employee is told in writing that they are excess.
Our guide to retention periods and involuntary redundancy in the APS explains each step. Sources: ATO enterprise agreement, Section F – workforce planning and adjustment (clauses 85.9, 86.1, 86.2, 86.5); National Archives of Australia Enterprise Agreement 2024–2027, section 11 (clause 534).
ACT Government (ACTPS) voluntary redundancies
The ACT Government runs its own schemes under its own enterprise agreements — the rules on severance, decision windows and support differ from the APS. If you work for a directorate, start with our ACT Government redundancy guide.
| Directorate / scheme | Announced | Scale (by figure type) | Status (as reported) | Source (as reported) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ACTPS-wide VR scheme (2026-27 Budget measure) | Budget handed down 10 June 2026 | Target Program funded at $35.4m over four years, with an expected net saving of $6.4m. The 2026-27 FTE target is 30,224. | Active — adopted directorate by directorate (as reported 9-11 June 2026; directorate rounds are listed below) | Canberra Times, 10-11 Jun 2026 · Canberra Times, 9 Jun 2026 |
| City and Environment Directorate (CED) | 28 May 2026 | Target ~130 roles, about 3-5% of the directorate’s ~4,200-strong workforce. EOI ~70 applications in the initial response — more than half the target reached within hours of opening (as reported 29 May 2026). | Expressions of interest assessed — the ACT Minister for the Public Service told a Legislative Assembly committee that every expression of interest was assessed against public and team safety, service delivery requirements and government priorities, that no eligibility decision was taken until 8 July 2026, and that not every expression of interest will result in a voluntary redundancy (answer signed 30 July 2026). We found no published count of approved redundancies. | Canberra Times, 28 May 2026 · Region Canberra, 29 May 2026 · ACT Legislative Assembly, answer to question on notice 35 (signed 30 Jul 2026) |
| Canberra Institute of Technology (CIT) — ACT government tertiary institution | Reported 3 August 2026 | EOI Expression-of-interest process open for eligible permanent staff; no numeric target or savings figure published. Context reported: a $28.3m operating deficit in 2025 and a 28% fall in subject enrolments over five years. | EOI open — no decisions announced on numbers or future structure; the CPSU has called on the Chief Minister to intervene (as reported 3 August 2026). On 14 August 2026 the board chair said there was no fixed number of staff to be accepted and staff consultation was continuing. | Canberra Times, 3 Aug 2026 · Canberra Times, 14 Aug 2026 |
| Infrastructure Canberra — ACT government infrastructure agency | Reported 3 September 2026 | EOI Expression-of-interest process opening to all permanent, non-executive staff, assessed case by case. The agency states there is no targeted number of jobs to reduce: “The number of redundancies will depend on how many expressions of interest are received and subsequently supported through the assessment process.” For scale, the ACT State of the Service Report 2025-26 records a headcount of 676 at Infrastructure Canberra in June 2026, 614 of them permanent (662.9 full-time equivalent in total). Infrastructure delivery functions were transferred to the agency from 1 July 2025. | EOI phase (as reported 3-4 September 2026, when the CPSU called the cuts “ludicrous” given the agency delivers the government’s major projects); no target or savings figure published as at 1 November 2026 | Canberra Times, 3-4 Sep 2026 · ACT State of the Service Report 2025-26, Table A.7 |
| Health and Community Services Directorate (HCSD) | 1 October 2026 | Target About 65 voluntary redundancies (the directorate expects to make around 65 offers), roughly 4% of a workforce of more than 1,500 working in areas such as public housing, child protection, youth and domestic violence services. A planned number, not departures; a small number of additional applications could be accepted where the savings can be redirected to priority areas. EOI Expressions of interest close 8 November 2026; offers are expected in early to mid-December 2026. All staff except the Senior Executive Service may apply. Front-line clinical staff such as nurses and doctors are not affected: they are employed by Canberra Health Services. The directorate’s 2026-27 Budget Statement plans staffing of 1,330 FTE, down from an estimated 1,375 FTE in 2025-26, a reduction it attributes mainly to Whole of Government Expenditure Reform savings (FTE counts part-time staff as fractions, so it is not comparable with the headcount above). | EOI open — each application assessed against its impact on service delivery; the CPSU is seeking legal advice on whether the program could be challenged in the Fair Work Commission (as reported 2 October 2026) | Canberra Times, 1 Oct 2026 · CityNews, 1 Oct 2026 · Region Canberra, 2 Oct 2026 · Canberra Times, 2 Oct 2026 · ACT Budget 2026-27, Statement C (HCSD), Table 1 |
| Other ACT directorates | — | None yet Beyond CED, CIT, Infrastructure Canberra and HCSD, we found no public report of another directorate opening a round as at 1 November 2026; some roles (such as bus drivers) quarantined. The same budget grows Canberra Health Services by 460 FTE and Transport Canberra by 87 FTE. | Watch list | Canberra Times, 10-11 Jun 2026 · Canberra Times, 2 Oct 2026 |
The whole-of-APS picture
There is no announced whole-of-government redundancy program, timetable or quota. Finance Minister Katy Gallagher has said the APS is roughly the right size, with “ons and offs in different departments” (Canberra Times, 1 May 2026). What is driving the agency-by-agency rounds is a push for departments to identify savings worth up to 5 per cent of their annual budget (Canberra Times, 13 Apr 2026). The 2026-27 Budget estimates average staffing (ASL) across the general government sector, excluding the military, at 217,256 for 2026-27, up 1,315 (0.6%) on the revised 2025-26 estimate of 215,941 (Budget Paper No. 4, 2026-27). ASL is a full-time-equivalent estimate, not a headcount.
The Parliamentary Budget Office’s July 2026 medium-term outlook projects average staffing falling by around 28,000 to roughly 189,000 by 2029-30, and further to roughly 176,000 by 2036-37 — a budget-balance projection, not an announced policy. The “about 40,000” figure sometimes quoted in political debate is that decade-long projection, not a government plan (Canberra Times, 15 Jul 2026). In short: the reductions are real, agency-led, and mostly voluntary so far — and finalised numbers are in the hundreds per agency, not the thousands — Home Affairs, the largest round, finished at 713.
Full year 2025-26 (APSC): 1,328 APS retrenchments
The Australian Public Service Commission’s annual APS employment data, published 30 September 2026, counts 1,328 retrenchments of ongoing APS employees in the 2025-26 financial year (1 July 2025 to 30 June 2026). That is up from 352 in 2024-25, and the highest yearly count since 2018-19 (2,622). The APSC uses “retrenchment” for an employee identified as excess to their agency’s requirements whose employment ends under section 29(3)(a) of the Public Service Act 1999. It covers voluntary and involuntary redundancies together, and the APSC’s published tables do not split them.
- By agency: Social Services 319, Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water 177, Home Affairs 110, Employment and Workplace Relations 107.
- By age: 937 (70.6%) were aged 50 or over.
- By length of service: 665 (50.1%) had 20 or more years of service.
- Canberra: the APS employed 68,451 people in the ACT at 30 June 2026, 1,600 fewer than a year earlier. This is a headcount of all APS employees in the ACT, not a count of redundancies.
How this relates to the tables above. The agency figures above come from each agency’s own answers to the Senate or public statements. Each covers its own period (mostly January to mid-2026), and some are offers or approvals rather than departures. The APSC figure is one APS-wide count of people who left, for the financial year to 30 June 2026, and anyone who left after 30 June falls into next year’s count. The two overlap but measure different things, so they should not be added together or expected to match. For example, Social Services told the Senate that 302 staff accepted a redundancy payment from 1 July 2025 to 31 May 2026; the APSC counts 319 retrenchments there across the full year. ACT Government (ACTPS) employees are not APS employees and are not in the APSC count.
Sources: APSC, APS Employment Data 30 June 2026 (release tables: Table 65 separations by type, Table 70 retrenchments by age, Table 72 separations by agency, Table 76 separations by length of service, Table 15 employees by state); definition of retrenchment: APSC answer to Senate question on notice 154, Supplementary Budget Estimates 2013-14.
Are big private employers cutting jobs too?
Yes. National Australia Bank (NAB) and KPMG Australia have both announced job cuts since late August 2026. These are private-sector roles, not APS or ACT Government jobs, so they are not counted in any figure on this page. Neither announcement says how many of the roles are in Canberra.
| Employer | Announced | Roles | What the employer said | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NAB | 20 October 2026 | Up to 2,500 internal roles (about 6% of its workforce) in its 2027 financial year, including up to 1,500 before the end of 2026 | “We are particularly focused on reducing the size of corporate functions. There will be no material impact to customer-facing banking roles.” Departing staff get redundancy entitlements “in accordance with applicable industrial instruments and employment obligations”. | NAB announcement, 20 Oct 2026 |
| KPMG Australia | 24 August 2026 | 27 partners and about 360 staff (about 5% of its workforce) | “Most of the roles affected will be in our consulting business.” The ABC linked the cuts to KPMG losing most of its ongoing government contracts. | ABC News, 24 Aug 2026 |
The tax rules are the same outside the public service. A genuine redundancy payment is tax-free up to a limit for anyone under Age Pension age on the day of dismissal, whether the employer is an agency or a bank. For 2026-27 the limit is $13,598 plus $6,801 for each complete year of service (ATO). The amount above it is an employment termination payment, taxed at a concessional rate up to the $270,000 ETP cap for 2026-27. Your payroll office works out your own figures. What differs between employers is the size of the redundancy payment itself, so check your own entitlement rather than relying on what you have read about APS packages. Our redundancy guide explains the three layers of redundancy tax and what to do with the payout.
Your agency is listed — what now?
This tracker tells you a round exists. It does not tell you whether accepting is a good idea — that depends on your severance and tax position, your super scheme, and what the money needs to do next. Before you respond to an EOI or an offer:
- Federal (APS) employees: start with our guide to voluntary vs involuntary redundancy for Canberra public servants — how genuine redundancy tax treatment works and the decisions that come with an offer.
- Applied and missed out, or thinking of declining? Our guide to retention periods and involuntary redundancy in the APS covers what happens when your EOI goes nowhere — and the clock that starts if you say no.
- Aged 60 or over — or is your 67th birthday in play? Our guide to taking a redundancy at 60, 65 or past Age Pension age covers the tax cliff at 67, the CSS and PSS election windows, and what a payout does to an Age Pension.
- ACT Government employees: the Territory’s rules are not the APS rules. Read the ACT Government redundancy guide before you assume anything you have read about the APS applies to you.
- CSS members over 55: a VR can reopen a door many thought was shut — see CSS 54-11 and the voluntary redundancy window.
- Wondering what 54/11 actually is? Our plain-English 54/11 explainer covers CSC’s definition, the deferred-benefit calculation and who can still use it.
- CSS and PSS members generally: your scheme changes what a redundancy means — our financial planning guide for Australian public servants covers both schemes in detail.
If your agency is on this list and you would like a licensed adviser to look at your specific numbers before you respond, request a call back from Véurr here.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which government departments are offering voluntary redundancies in 2026?
As at 22 October 2026, 23 federal agencies have announced a voluntary redundancy round or have a published redundancy figure, including Home Affairs, Education, Social Services, Climate Change (DCCEEW), the NIAA, PM&C, the ABS, Finance, Health, Infrastructure and Services Australia. Not all of them ran a round: the Treasury told the Senate it had not undertaken any voluntary redundancy rounds, and Health that it has not undertaken a central voluntary redundancy program. The ACT Government is also funding voluntary redundancies across its directorates, starting with the City and Environment Directorate. The tables above list every agency with sources. A further 17 smaller agencies told the Senate they provided between one and four voluntary redundancies each between January and early June 2026, also without an announced round; they are grouped in one row.
How many APS voluntary redundancies have there actually been?
Fewer than the headlines suggest. Across every agency with a published figure, finalised departures, accepted offers and processed redundancies add up to roughly 1,410 people so far across the 39 federal agencies with a finalised or approved figure: 22 of the 23 agencies above (all but the ABS, which has published no figure for its program), plus 17 smaller agencies that each reported between one and four voluntary redundancies to the Senate. This does not yet include DEWR’s 91 accepted offers for 2026-27, reported from Senate Estimates on 28 October 2026; they will be added once the hearing transcript is published. Each agency reports for its own period, so treat this total as a scale, not an exact count. The largest single round is Home Affairs at 713; the next largest is 302 at the Department of Social Services in 2025-26. The largest completed round is Home Affairs, which finalised 713 voluntary redundancies from 1,938 expressions of interest and has confirmed no further programme for 2026-27. Separately, the Australian Public Service Commission counts 1,328 retrenchments of ongoing APS employees in the full 2025-26 financial year (published 30 September 2026). That count covers voluntary and involuntary redundancies together and a different period, so it should not be added to the agency figures.
Does 2,000 expressions of interest mean 2,000 redundancies?
No. An expression of interest is a staff member putting their hand up — not an offer, and not a departure. Agencies typically approve only a fraction of EOIs: Home Affairs received 1,938 EOIs and finalised 713 voluntary redundancies, so roughly a third of those who applied actually left. Always check which type of figure a headline is quoting before drawing conclusions.
How often is this tracker updated?
Checked weekly. Every figure is dated and linked to its source (a written answer to the Senate wherever one exists), and each weekly check converts expression-of-interest numbers into offers and finalised departures as agencies publish them — Senate estimates transcripts and the written answers that follow are the next big data drops. This page was last updated on 1 November 2026.
When will new APS redundancy figures be released?
Senate Supplementary Budget Estimates hearings ran from 26 to 29 October 2026, and officials sometimes give figures at the hearings. Written answers to questions on notice come later: after the May–June 2026 hearings, answers were due on 17 and 24 July 2026 and most were published in July. For the October hearings, answers are due by 17 December 2026. This tracker is checked weekly and adds new figures, with their source, as they are published.
What is the difference between a voluntary redundancy being offered, approved and provided?
An offer means the agency has formally offered a voluntary redundancy. Approved means the agency has agreed to the redundancy, but the person has not necessarily left. When an agency tells the Senate in a written answer that it has “provided” or “processed” voluntary redundancies, or that staff have “separated”, this tracker records the figure as finalised departures. Every figure in the tables is labelled with its type.
Weighing a voluntary redundancy at your agency?
Maciej and Imran at Véurr work with APS and ACT government employees through exactly these decisions — severance, tax treatment, CSS/PSS and what the payout needs to do next. Talk it through with Maciej or Imran before you respond to the offer.
No obligation. No product pitch.
Request a call back from Véurr here
Or call us directly: (02) 6171 1777
Sources and further reading: Canberra Times, 26 Mar 2026 — Education next to offer redundancies · Canberra Times, 13 Apr 2026 — PM&C and ABS confirm VR rounds · Canberra Times, 29 Apr 2026 — Home Affairs opens VR expressions of interest · Canberra Times, 1 May 2026 — DEWR, AGD and Industry confirm VRs · Government News, 1 May 2026 — Job cull at Home Affairs · Canberra Times, 28 May 2026 — ACT City and Environment Directorate round · Region Canberra, 29 May 2026 — CED round draws ~70 initial applications · Canberra Times, 1 Jun 2026 — 2,000 Home Affairs EOIs · Canberra Times, 5 Jun 2026 — APS staffing level and agency rounds · Canberra Times, 9 Jun 2026 — ACT Budget foreshadows VR fund · Canberra Times, 10-11 Jun 2026 — ACT Budget VR scheme detail · Canberra Times, 13 Jul 2026 — Agency-by-agency finalised VR figures · Parliament of Australia — Senate estimates questions on notice, Budget Estimates 2026-27 (agency answers on voluntary redundancies provided since 1 January 2026) · ASIC Financial Advisers Register
