Arabic version: مجلس مدينة لونسيستون يخطط لإلغاء 10 وظائف

According to ABC News, Launceston City Council will cut about 10 full-time equivalent management roles as it seeks to reduce costs and recover about $1.9 million a year in staff expenses.

The northern Tasmanian council said it was changing its organisational structure and working with 43 affected employees. It said the changes were expected to produce significant operational savings without compromising service delivery, while building on recent productivity improvements.

Some redundancies are understood to affect workers at Launceston’s Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery. The council said it was pursuing redeployment opportunities for affected staff where possible, and the changes are expected to take effect at the end of January.

Chief executive Sam Johnson informed staff and councillors of the planned changes by email on October 26. The council’s 2026-27 budget includes an underlying operational deficit of $2.2 million.

The announcement was made during a local government election period and was implemented without consideration by elected representatives. Australian Services Union Tasmanian branch secretary Tash Wark said it was an anxious time for members and said the union would seek fair redundancies or reasonable redeployment while advocating against adverse effects on community services.

The council expressed immense appreciation for affected staff, saying their contributions to the council and the community had been invaluable. Newly re-elected Launceston Mayor Matthew Garwood has been contacted for comment.