Australia's Biggest Public Service Department to be Privatized

The Australian government has started the process for outsourcing the Department of Human Services payments systems. This includes Medicare Australia and the Australian Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme which together with Centrelink make up the largest department in the Australian public service. The Department of Health, who hold the DHS purse strings, are seeking engagement from private vendors for management of the claims and payment services the Department of Human Services delivers. This move comes as a shock as it is just three years after these government departments were merged together to form the DHS.

Further, DHS employees only found out about this happening when it was reported in the local paper. The DHS is currently bargaining for renewal of the employee enterprise agreement for which has stalled.