Mr Martin Ferguson asked the Treasurer, upon notice, on 18 March 1997:

Have positions been abolished or offices closed in the Minister's Department since 2 March 1996; if so, is the Minister able to provide a detailed breakdown of (a) how many jobs and offices have been abolished or closed and (b) which localities are affected.

Mr Costello —The answer to the honourable member's question is as follows:

No positions in the Department of the Treasury have been formally abolished, nor have any offices been closed since 2 March 1996. However, some staff reductions have been achieved since that time, as outlined below.

The Treasury's operative staffing level at 2 March 1996 was 506. This included 12 from the National Competition Council, which has reported separately from 1 July 1996.

The honourable member would be aware that, following the election, the government made a number of changes to the Administrative Arrangements Orders. One of those affecting the Department of the Treasury was the transfer of the bulk of the Business Law Division from the Attorney-General's Department, involving a total of 45 staff, plus six from the corporate support areas.

The Treasury's operative staffing level at 30 April 1997 was 532. This indicates a net reduction, since March 1996, in the order of 13 staff.