EY

Chris Zappone. The government and the ASU criticised the decision to outsource 850 jobs and raised concerns that AI disruption could be used as an excuse for mass firings. ASU assistant national secretary Scott Cowen: "We need to make sure that these AI announcements and job cuts are genuine and not a Trojan horse for widespread offshoring." He said "This isn't the first announcement we've seen by big corporate giants in Australia where they announce a deal with a big tech giant like Accenture", citing Coles and Telstra, and asked "Is this using AI as the excuse to say the work can't be done internally because it's new or too specialised? And then [using] that as a way to outsource jobs from local communities?" He added: "If a huge corporation like Qantas is saying that it can't internally employ people as these new technologies are implemented ... then what company is going to be employing locals?" Vanessa Hudson: "Reinvention at this scale is not possible to do on our own ... because we cannot hire at the pace this work needs." The mechanism: in-house processes are sent to India where they are analysed and simplified, automation is added, and the process is re-incorporated into Qantas's Australian operations at a later date. Transport Minister Catherine King: "This has been a model that Qantas has been using for some time, outsourcing jobs, no longer having them in house"; "I think that we saw the last time that it engaged in this sort of level of outsourcing during COVID, that it did a significant amount of damage to its social licence"; "I think the union is right to be disappointed that it's resulting in 850 job losses"; "I think investing in the workforce that has basically built it should be a priority for Qantas"; and "My call to them is to work very closely with the unions to retrain, redeploy as many of those 850 people as possible because we need those AI capabilities here in Australia as well." Qantas received $2.7 billion in taxpayer subsidies during COVID and around the same time outsourced 1,800 ground crew in a move later ruled illegal. Ryan Perrett, one of the 1,800, said the airline "obviously has learnt nothing". Qantas says it remains a net employer with a growing 28,000-strong Australian workforce and more than 4,400 new operational roles added since 2023.

The FSU reports over 250 Westpac workers earmarked for redundancy since the start of October, following 102 cuts in the Risk, Institutional Banking and Finance teams about a fortnight earlier, and a further round of over 200 announced this week across numerous areas of the bank. National assistant secretary Nicole McPherson: "These stealthy job cuts at Westpac are the Christmas gift no one asked for... All banks need to look at the bigger picture and see their employees as more than just numbers on a balance sheet. They are people with families who support other people with families." No destination country or vendor was named for the work.

NAB "added more than 7000 staff at hubs in India and Vietnam before axing thousands of Australian employees doing the same work". Its full-time headcount grew from about 33,000 in 2022 to almost 42,000 in 2025, including the 7,000 recruited in India and Vietnam, where teams work in artificial intelligence, software engineering, risk, compliance and support services to bankers. "Many of the people doing those same jobs in Australia now face being made redundant." The India hub was established in 2022 under then chief executive Ross McEwan and moved quickly from third-party contractors to more than 5,000 permanent staff focused on IT, operations, technology, security and increasingly financial crime; about 2,000 were added in Vietnam over the same period, including software developers, analysts and digital designers. The proportion of NAB's workforce located overseas is expected to rise from about 18 per cent today to more than 20 per cent by year's end, second among the big four behind ANZ at 28 per cent. The FSU said NAB indicated 180 more jobs were being moved overseas as part of the restructure. FSU assistant national secretary Nicole McPherson: "Almost every major Australian bank has run some version of the same play: cut secure Australian roles, move the work to an offshore office or outsourcing partner, and describe it as modernisation", adding that moving positions overseas could put sensitive customer data at risk. A manager being made redundant said anonymously: "We do not know if any India or Vietnam roles are impacted, but the belief amongst the staff is it is highly unlikely, or minimal if so." Morgan Stanley analyst Richard Wiles said savings could reach $450 million. UBS analyst John Storey: "NAB has added around 9000 employees to its full-time workforce in the last few years but you certainly haven't seen a commensurate increase in terms of revenue and productivity so now it's cutting costs." NAB declined to comment; a spokeswoman said the hubs would help the bank tap a global skills base. The same article reports Westpac "chopping another 151 jobs related to its Catalyst simplification program on top of the 103 just two weeks ago".

Robert Half research found almost one in three US and Canadian employers that eliminated roles primarily because of AI later rehired for the same or a similar position, with AI needing more human oversight and quality control than expected and businesses still needing relationship management skills and institutional knowledge. The article cites CBA reversing its decision to cut 45 customer service jobs, which the bank called an error, IBM rehiring some workers after cutting 8,000 roles to implement automation in 2023, and WiseTech axing around 2,000 jobs in a two-year restructure. Nearly 4,500 Australian tech workers were laid off in the first three months of 2026, with AI given as a reason for every cut.

Rachel Noble, director-general of the Australian Signals Directorate until 2024, warned that outsourcing operations to offshore providers raises cybersecurity risk: "I think it has the potential to increase their risk, and in some cases significantly increase their risk of data theft, loss... Cyberattacks that occur through that offshore vector impact the heart of their operations." The article notes that major Australian companies including Origin Energy and Coles have outsourced parts of their operations to Accenture in multi-year deals worth hundreds of millions of dollars, and that Qantas is also mulling outsourcing parts of its operations to Accenture. It reports that the investigation into Origin's July breach, which exposed the personal information of almost a million customers, has focused on a former Accenture employee working in Manila, where Origin had outsourced key billing and customer support functions. Island Bell chief executive Charlie O'Connell said companies remain responsible when offshore arrangements fail: "Sticking something over there, outside of this country, for me just feels like a risk."

A former Bupa Australia employee reports that Bupa currently has a few hundred staff offshored in Manila, and that they lost their own job when the work was moved to the Philippines. The tipster could not confirm a total. The "few hundred" figure is larger than the 146 roles in the FSU's 2024 notice, which suggests more than one wave, but no number beyond the FSU figure is recorded here.

A former Cubic Transportation Systems employee reports that dozens of employees have been made redundant from the Brisbane office and replaced with employees in the company's Hyderabad office, with the work still needing to be done. The tipster did not have exact numbers. They also note Cubic holds a Sydney contract whose commercial terms require all employees to be based in Australia. Recorded as rumoured; no headcount is claimed.

The FSU says CBA is cutting 276 roles — 176 in technology and engineering plus about 100 across the Chief Operations Office, Business Banking, Institutional Banking and Markets, Human Resources and Retail Banking — while advertising similar roles at CBA India, where labour costs are lower. Nearly 800 jobs have been cut by the bank in 2026 to date, against a first-half cash profit of $5.44 billion, up 6% year-on-year. Almost three-quarters of CBA staff surveyed reported job-security concerns. The FSU has lodged a formal dispute with CBA at the Fair Work Commission. FSU National Secretary Julia Angrisano: "This is a bank that regularly turns billions of dollars in profit and claims to invest in skilling and developing local workers, yet continues to brutally axe local jobs."

Officeworks (Wesfarmers) plans to offshore hundreds of Sydney and Melbourne jobs to India and the Philippines. Dozens of Western Sydney customer service centre staff made redundant — work replaced by call service in Manila. Geeks2U (Wesfarmers-owned tech support) and other office roles in Sydney and Melbourne to move to Bengaluru in coming months. Officeworks India already hiring for ~50 sales, technology and analyst roles in Bengaluru, with plans to shift hundreds of jobs in three phases. Wesfarmers Kmart and Target already employ ~500 in business and tech at their Global Capability Centre in Bengaluru. Managing director John Gualtieri (former Kmart/Target CEO) leading the change. Spokesperson cited "rising costs, increasing competition, and rapidly changing customer expectations." Federal government: "always back Australian jobs."

CBA announced 119 more Australian job cuts on 23 April 2026 (6 directly impacted by automation; 43 at Bankwest subsidiary). Mobile lending managers among roles targeted. FSU National Secretary Julia Angrisano: "CBA seems intent on hollowing out its frontline services, including mobile lending managers." 72% of CBA workers and 85% of Bankwest workers reported job-security concerns in an FSU survey.

VAGO report: Myki overhaul blew out $136.8M (25%). Total 15-year cost $2.8B. System absorbs 26c of every $1 in fare revenue vs 10c global benchmark. DTP failed to resolve known issues before awarding contract.

Myki overhaul blew out $136.8M (25%) from $543.6M to $680.4M with 18-month delay. Conduent $1.96B contract. Total 15-year cost estimated at $2.8B. System will absorb 26c of every $1 in fare revenue vs 10c global benchmark. Auditor says value for money unclear.

Optus appoints new OSS chief By Andrew Colley Mar 17 2026 6:58AM To strengthen leadership of new division. Optus has appointed a new operational systems and support (OSS) chief as the carrier continues to hasten its plans to insource its network operations management from Nokia. Former Wipro partner Wajid Baryalai has joined the carrier to take on the role of head of operations OSS. Baryalai announced his new role last weekend and the carrier confirmed his appointment for iTnews yeste

Perth-based Telco Services Australia accused of fabricating performance stats and covering up privacy breaches on Centrelink lines. $90M+ contract. Workers restricted to 2 bathroom breaks/day. Only 44% of outsourced ATO call staff stay beyond 12 months.

Blackstone-controlled Crown Resorts will shift more than 100 corporate jobs offshore to take further costs out of the business, as it faces industrial action in Victoria. Sources with knowledge of the strategy, not authorised to speak publicly, said Crown had decided to move most of its technology, accounting and finance functions to a global capability centre set up in Asia. The job cuts will not affect frontline or guest-facing workers. "The final number of affected positions has not been determined, but it is expected to be more than 100 roles." Crown hired consultants Alvarez & Marsal late last year to help executives identify non-gambling revenue across its Sydney, Melbourne and Perth resorts; that project, known as Project Velvet, assisted with the decision to shift roles offshore. A Crown spokeswoman said the changes were made to ensure the business was efficient and sustainable: "We remain focused on enhancing guest experience and investing where it matters most." She added: "Decisions that impact team members are not taken lightly, and this work is being carefully balanced to meet the needs of our teams today with sustainable growth." The decision was announced to staff by email and coincided with a dispute with the United Workers Union, representing more than 1,000 Melbourne workers, over a new enterprise agreement. Crown posted a $142 million net profit for the year to 30 June after a $164.8 million loss the prior year, driven by $220 million in cost savings, the sale of its London business and a 20 per cent stake in Nobu. Blackstone bought Crown for $8.9 billion in 2022. CEO is David Tsai.

Crown Resorts is shifting most of its technology, accounting and finance work to a specialist capability centre in Asia, with more than 100 corporate roles in Australia expected to go. Guest-facing and frontline jobs stay in Australia. The move follows about $220 million in cost cuts, offshore asset sales and divestment of minority hospitality stakes as Crown resets after regulatory scrutiny and tighter high-roller controls. It lands during stalled enterprise bargaining: United Workers Union casinos director Andrew Jones framed the dispute around "dignity, respect, and the right to build a decent life in this city", criticising a wage offer of 3.25%, 3% and 3% over three years, after employees rejected a two-tier wage proposal. Staff turnover at Crown Sydney has approached 60% annually.

Deloitte charged the Australian government $290,000 for a welfare compliance report that contained AI-generated hallucinations, including references to non-existent academic papers and a fabricated quote from a federal court judge. A Sydney University researcher catalogued 20 errors. Deloitte refunded $63,000. Senator Barbara Pocock demanded a full refund.

CBA India workforce grew 21% to 6,788 (year to June 2025), a 138% increase since 2022. 700 of 2,000 IT engineers hired in prior 12 months were in Bangalore. FSU: By hiring for the same job at their own Indian subsidiary they have breached the Enterprise Agreement.