The Victorian government will slash 1,000 public service jobs, including more than 300 executive positions, and merge several entities, as part of its response to an independent review into the sector, which it claims will save $4bn.

But the treasurer, Jaclyn Symes, hasn’t accepted every recommendation of the review into the Victorian public service (VPS), led by Helen Silver and released on Thursday, which would have led to 2,068 job losses.

Addressing the planned cuts, the premier, Jacinta Allan, said families are “watching every dollar in their household budgets, and they expect their government to do the same”.

“We are looking at ways to keep our Victorian public service laser focused on delivering those frontline services that matter most to Victorian families and working people – good education, good health care, keeping the community safe and investing in real and meaningful cost of living measures,” Allan said.

Silver, a banking executive and former head of the Department of Premier and Cabinet under John Brumby and Ted Baillieu, described the VPS as a “capable and dedicate workforce”. But it has become too “top-heavy”, with executive numbers rising by 52% since 2019.

“This type of structure is costly, decisions are slower, staff are disempowered, and innovation is stifled,” Silver said her report.

The government has accepted Silver’s recommendation to cut 332 executive roles across the VPS, saving $359m over four years. It has also accepted a recommendation to cap the number of VPS5 and VPS6 positions at 15%, saving $125m over four years, but this is not expected to lead to an immediate reduction in headcount.

The government estimates it will also save $50m by cutting CBD office costs and $113m on spending less on consultants and labour hire.

However, the most significant savings are expected to be made by overhauling the number of government agencies, boards and advisory committees.

Silver recommended 78 entities be either scrapped or consolidated, and 90% of the state’s 90 advisory committees wound up, saving $427m and cutting 536 positions.

She said there were more than 500 public entities and 3,400 boards in Victoria, which were “costly and unwieldy”.

“These arrangements come at a substantial, direct and indirect cost to government,” Silver wrote, noting they cost $35bn to run each year.

But the government has only supported the recommendation in part, committing to merging 29 entities, and work has begun to cut the number of advisory bodies, with Symes noting three were currently “too many”.

Symes will introduce legislation to parliament on Thursday to facilitate the changes, including merging the responsibilities of five seperate agencies to create a new Consumer Protection Regulator, and three seperate food safety regulators for dairy and meat into the single Safe Food Victoria.

Several human rights officers and commissioners will also merge into the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission – including the commissioner for LGBTIQA+ communities, commissioner for gender equality, commission for children and young people, the multicultural commission and the office of public advocate.

However, the government has not accepted all Silver’s merger recommendations, including to consolidating 14 water corporations into three or to merge Heritage Council Victoria into Heritage Victoria.

It has also refused to end the doctors in secondary schools program, musical instruments for secondary students and the rollout of free kinder. But grants to Melbourne city council for transport initiatives and special Covid-19 leave for health workers will be cut.

Symes ordered the Silver review in February in one of her first acts as treasurer, in an effort to curb the growing cost of employee expenses – which make up about a third of the government’s total spending.

The Victorian government will slash 1,000 public service jobs, including more than 300 executive positions, and merge several entities, as part of its response to an independent review into the sector, which it claims will save $4bn.

But the treasurer, Jaclyn Symes, hasn’t accepted every recommendation of the review into the Victorian public service (VPS), led by Helen Silver and released on Thursday, which would have led to 2,068 job losses.

Addressing the planned cuts, the premier, Jacinta Allan, said families are “watching every dollar in their household budgets, and they expect their government to do the same”.

“We are looking at ways to keep our Victorian public service laser focused on delivering those frontline services that matter most to Victorian families and working people – good education, good health care, keeping the community safe and investing in real and meaningful cost of living measures,” Allan said.

Silver, a banking executive and former head of the Department of Premier and Cabinet under John Brumby and Ted Baillieu, described the VPS as a “capable and dedicate workforce”. But it has become too “top-heavy”, with executive numbers rising by 52% since 2019.

“This type of structure is costly, decisions are slower, staff are disempowered, and innovation is stifled,” Silver said her report.

The government has accepted Silver’s recommendation to cut 332 executive roles across the VPS, saving $359m over four years. It has also accepted a recommendation to cap the number of VPS5 and VPS6 positions at 15%, saving $125m over four years, but this is not expected to lead to an immediate reduction in headcount.

The government estimates it will also save $50m by cutting CBD office costs and $113m on spending less on consultants and labour hire.

However, the most significant savings are expected to be made by overhauling the number of government agencies, boards and advisory committees.

Silver recommended 78 entities be either scrapped or consolidated, and 90% of the state’s 90 advisory committees wound up, saving $427m and cutting 536 positions.

She said there were more than 500 public entities and 3,400 boards in Victoria, which were “costly and unwieldy”.

“These arrangements come at a substantial, direct and indirect cost to government,” Silver wrote, noting they cost $35bn to run each year.

But the government has only supported the recommendation in part, committing to merging 29 entities, and work has begun to cut the number of advisory bodies, with Symes noting three were currently “too many”.

Symes will introduce legislation to parliament on Thursday to facilitate the changes, including merging the responsibilities of five seperate agencies to create a new Consumer Protection Regulator, and three seperate food safety regulators for dairy and meat into the single Safe Food Victoria.

Several human rights officers and commissioners will also merge into the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission – including the commissioner for LGBTIQA+ communities, commissioner for gender equality, commission for children and young people, the multicultural commission and the office of public advocate.

However, the government has not accepted all Silver’s merger recommendations, including to consolidating 14 water corporations into three or to merge Heritage Council Victoria into Heritage Victoria.

It has also refused to end the doctors in secondary schools program, musical instruments for secondary students and the rollout of free kinder. But grants to Melbourne city council for transport initiatives and special Covid-19 leave for health workers will be cut.

Symes ordered the Silver review in February in one of her first acts as treasurer, in an effort to curb the growing cost of employee expenses – which make up about a third of the government’s total spending.

The Victorian government will slash 1,000 public service jobs, including more than 300 executive positions, and merge several entities, as part of its response to an independent review into the sector, which it claims will save $4bn.

But the treasurer, Jaclyn Symes, hasn’t accepted every recommendation of the review into the Victorian public service (VPS), led by Helen Silver and released on Thursday, which would have led to 2,068 job losses.

Addressing the planned cuts, the premier, Jacinta Allan, said families are “watching every dollar in their household budgets, and they expect their government to do the same”.

“We are looking at ways to keep our Victorian public service laser focused on delivering those frontline services that matter most to Victorian families and working people – good education, good health care, keeping the community safe and investing in real and meaningful cost of living measures,” Allan said.

Silver, a banking executive and former head of the Department of Premier and Cabinet under John Brumby and Ted Baillieu, described the VPS as a “capable and dedicate workforce”. But it has become too “top-heavy”, with executive numbers rising by 52% since 2019.

“This type of structure is costly, decisions are slower, staff are disempowered, and innovation is stifled,” Silver said her report.

The government has accepted Silver’s recommendation to cut 332 executive roles across the VPS, saving $359m over four years. It has also accepted a recommendation to cap the number of VPS5 and VPS6 positions at 15%, saving $125m over four years, but this is not expected to lead to an immediate reduction in headcount.

The government estimates it will also save $50m by cutting CBD office costs and $113m on spending less on consultants and labour hire.

However, the most significant savings are expected to be made by overhauling the number of government agencies, boards and advisory committees.

Silver recommended 78 entities be either scrapped or consolidated, and 90% of the state’s 90 advisory committees wound up, saving $427m and cutting 536 positions.

She said there were more than 500 public entities and 3,400 boards in Victoria, which were “costly and unwieldy”.

“These arrangements come at a substantial, direct and indirect cost to government,” Silver wrote, noting they cost $35bn to run each year.

But the government has only supported the recommendation in part, committing to merging 29 entities, and work has begun to cut the number of advisory bodies, with Symes noting three were currently “too many”.

Symes will introduce legislation to parliament on Thursday to facilitate the changes, including merging the responsibilities of five seperate agencies to create a new Consumer Protection Regulator, and three seperate food safety regulators for dairy and meat into the single Safe Food Victoria.

Several human rights officers and commissioners will also merge into the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission – including the commissioner for LGBTIQA+ communities, commissioner for gender equality, commission for children and young people, the multicultural commission and the office of public advocate.

However, the government has not accepted all Silver’s merger recommendations, including to consolidating 14 water corporations into three or to merge Heritage Council Victoria into Heritage Victoria.

It has also refused to end the doctors in secondary schools program, musical instruments for secondary students and the rollout of free kinder. But grants to Melbourne city council for transport initiatives and special Covid-19 leave for health workers will be cut.

Symes ordered the Silver review in February in one of her first acts as treasurer, in an effort to curb the growing cost of employee expenses – which make up about a third of the government’s total spending.