ABS, the Australian Bureau of Statistics, will lay off 150 jobs through voluntary separations because of a reduction in funding.
On Friday morning, management informed employees of the decision, and the union criticized goverment`s "short-sighted budget decision."
ABS has been criticized for its poor handling of the 2016 census and the 40-hour crash of the website, which prevented tens of thousands of Australians from submitting census data in time.
Jonathan Palmer, the chief operating officer, sent a mass email calling on employees to express interest in voluntary departures, saying most of the exit agreements would be made by Feb. 9. Census workers who are no longer needed, as well as offices in Sydney, Brisbane and Darwin, as well as Canberra headquarters, can apply for voluntary departures.
Melissa Donnelly, deputy secretary-general of the CPSU trade union, said she was worried that layoffs would further affect the quality of data management at the Bureau of Statistics.
A spokeswoman for ABS said it was necessary to lay off the layoffs, and at least 100 out-of-service compensation would be provided to the staff.
