2026-11-11
Qantas will axe 850 jobs, after a deal was secured to outsource work to consultancy giant Accenture, with hundreds of roles to be sent offshore as part of an AI overhaul. It follows reports that Telstra and Coles are slashing hundreds of jobs after partnering with the same firm.
Qantas reported a $1.29 billion statutory profit after tax and its CEO took home $6.8 million last financial year. At the height of the pandemic, the airline received $2.7 billion in public funds, in part to keep its workers employed.
The Greens say it's shameful that big corporations are slashing jobs while raking in millions in profit each year.
Lines attributable to Greens spokesperson for finance, workplace and employment and Senator for South Australia, Barbara Pocock:
“Big corporations are hiding behind claims of cost savings while raking in massive profits. It’s a pathetic excuse for slashing jobs.
“Workers are paying the price while the corporate giants cash in and Labor is doing nothing to protect workers from AI-driven job cuts.
“Where is Labor, the so-called ‘party for workers’? Too busy signing contracts with Accenture.
“Everyone remembers the BoM website fiasco. What started as a $4 million project ballooned to $96 million. Accenture and Deloitte kept securing contract extensions, with consultancy firms using amendments to milk government contracts for more money. It’s a gravy train at taxpayers’ expense.
“Accenture’s BoM website contract was a disaster. How on earth does a company with that track record keep winning lucrative contracts with big corporations and the government?
“Workers across the country are fed up with the corporate greed of the 1%. They’re facing job insecurity, AI-driven job cuts and inadequate wages that simply aren’t keeping pace with inflation, rising living costs and the fuel crisis.
“AI is transforming our workplaces and economy but that’s no excuse to let it run rampant. We cannot allow corporations to use AI to undermine workers’ skills, destroy jobs and drive down conditions. Workers’ rights and job security must come first.
“Working Australians deserve a fair share of the productivity gains from AI and new technology, not more job insecurity while billionaires and big corporations pocket the profits and wages fall behind.”
MEDIA CONTACT: Charlotta Lomas - 0466 339 862