Australian Public Service Commissioner John Lloyd has been accused of "mansplaining" workplace reforms that unions fear will slow progress on gender equality.
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Last week, Mr Lloyd announced changes that allow temporary workers to have their contracts extended from 12 months to 18 months without a competitive selection process. In certain cases, the contracts may be extended to three years.
The reforms were billed as an effort to reduce administrative burden and to bring recruitment practices closer to private sector standards. They accompanied changes to merit-based selection, affirmative action and the sharing of talent lists between departments.
"The amendments provide flexibility for APS agency heads to meet contemporary employment demands quickly, in an efficient way," Mr Lloyd said.
But the Community and Public Sector Union has raised concerns the changed would add to the casualisation of the workforce and the uncertainty of contract work.
"Contracting and casualisation of the workforce are two of the major threats to a decent standard of living for many working Australians, particularly women who form the majority of the APS workforce," CPSU secretary Nadine Flood said.
"Denying loyal and competent workers a permanent job will also have a negative impact on the quality and reliability of public services, and on the lives of the people working to provide them."
The number of temporary staff employed by APS agencies has increased significantly in recent years. In 2014-15, the temporary ranks swelled by 27.2 per cent as the bureaucracy transitioned from a recruitment freeze.
Ms Flood said the changes also removed a direction that selection processes remain "free from discrimination, patronage and favouritism". She described this as a mockery of the government's claim to working to reduce gender bias.
But Mr Lloyd denied her claim and said the "processes" that limited discrimination and favouritism had not been changed.
"The directions do not change the basis of merit or limit the progress of women in the workforce," he said.
Ms Flood insisted the changes would wind back strict provisions that ensure staff are only selected on merit.
"The last thing a predominantly female workforce needs is the public service commissioner mansplaining that protections against discrimination aren't needed in these directions," she said.
The directions also scale back the obligation to report certain outcomes in the Public Service Gazette, with the exception of reviewable promotion decisions committee recommendations and the termination of employment following a breach of contract.
