The Western Australian Labor government has come under intense fire after it was revealed it spent a staggering $46.4 million on external consultants and expert advice in a ten-month period, a move the opposition has labelled an alarming outsourcing of core public service work.
Opposition Slams 'Alarming' Outsourcing Rate
Documents obtained by the opposition through the annual reports hearings in parliament show the massive expenditure occurred between July 1, 2023, and April 30, 2024. The figures were confirmed by the Department of Premier and Cabinet.
Opposition Leader Shane Love launched a scathing attack on the government, accusing it of hollowing out the public sector while simultaneously relying heavily on expensive external contractors. He argued this spending spree occurred while the government was actively cutting public service jobs and implementing a hiring freeze.
"This is an alarming rate of outsourcing," Mr Love stated. "The government is spending tens of millions of dollars on external consultants at the same time as it's sacking public servants and freezing recruitment." He characterised the situation as a "workforce crisis" of the government's own making, where a lack of internal capacity forces expensive external hires.
Breakdown of the Multi-Million Dollar Spend
The $46.4 million total was distributed across numerous government departments for a wide range of consultancy services. While a full, itemised list was not provided in the initial disclosure, such expenditure typically covers:
- Management and business advisory services
- Legal and financial consulting
- Technical and specialist project advice
- Strategic planning and policy development
The revelation has sparked serious questions about the government's long-term strategy for maintaining internal expertise. Critics argue that persistent outsourcing erodes the institutional knowledge and capability of the public service, creating a vicious cycle of dependency.
Government Accountability and Future Implications
This significant expenditure on external consultants raises broader concerns about transparency and accountability in government spending. The opposition's successful uncovering of these figures highlights the role of parliamentary oversight mechanisms, like the annual reports hearings, in scrutinising executive actions.
The controversy places the WA Labor government in a difficult position. It must now justify why such a substantial sum was necessary for external advice during a period of purported fiscal restraint and public sector downsizing. The key questions moving forward will focus on whether this spending delivered value for money and what is being done to rebuild internal capacity to reduce future reliance on costly consultants.
The fallout from this revelation is likely to fuel ongoing political debate about the size, role, and funding of the public service in Western Australia. It provides a potent line of attack for the opposition, which can frame the government as wasteful and mismanaged, while the government will need to defend its decisions as necessary for obtaining specialised skills and delivering complex projects.
