More than a third of educator positions could be cut from Zoos Victoria under proposed redundancies, prompting fears the visits by 150,000 students each year will be cut and the standard of teaching affected.
The Age revealed in June that Zoos Victoria was preparing a restructure that would cut up to 70 full-time roles from its 950-strong workforce – a figure the organisation has pushed back on as it consults staff about the changes.
Among the most contentious proposals is a 38 per cent reduction in education staff at Melbourne Zoo – from roughly 6.2 full-time staff to 3.8 – who assist in teaching students and other groups about wildlife and conservation.
The Community and Public Sector Union and United Workers Union said on Monday that about 600 staff – almost two-thirds of the organisation’s workforce – had responded to the proposed changes, which would be finalised later this month.
CPSU state secretary Jiselle Hanna said any cuts to education staff would devastate the 150,000 students who visited Melbourne Zoo, Werribee Zoo, Healesville Sanctuary and Kyabram Fauna Park every year.
“Staff are telling us that they will not be able to maintain the volume of visits or the standard of education for young learners if these cuts go ahead,” Hanna said.
“If this restructure is genuinely being driven by financial pressures, then why would cuts be made to an entity that brings in millions of dollars annually through school visits?
“The impacted staff are highly skilled workers with decades of experience. They keep visitors educated, entertained and, most importantly, safe.”
The CPSU and the United Workers Union have urgently demanded Zoos Victoria wind back the scale of the cuts, arguing it will have flow-on effects across all parts of the organisation as staff are asked to handle new responsibilities.
“This restructure process has demonstrated how out of touch the executive team is with the realities of the zoo and the work that zoo staff undertake,” Hanna said.
A Zoos Victoria spokesperson said frontline services would not be impacted, as official consultation continued before a final decision was announced on August 25.
“Our employees have provided valuable feedback through this consultation process, and we are considering this feedback carefully,” the spokesperson said.
“Zoos Victoria will remain a world-class wildlife destination, and our commitment to fighting wildlife extinction remains.”
The Age has previously reported staff concerns that the restructure could also affect wildlife and conservation roles across the organisation, however, Zoos Victoria says frontline and animal care roles will not be directly affected.
Animal Justice Party MP Georgie Purcell said Zoos Victoria should be upfront about what the cuts would mean for conservation programs.
“With bird flu ravaging our state and our volunteer wildlife carers under enormous strain, we simply can’t afford to lose any of the dedicated Zoos Victoria teams whose job it is to respond to injured wildlife and protect threatened species,” she said.
“It’s simply not good enough to say there won’t be cuts to frontline services without being clear about what happens to the conservation and wildlife rescue work that sits behind them.”
Documents released under freedom of information laws revealed former Victoria treasurer Jaclyn Symes signed an advance application for a “letter of comfort” to Zoos Victoria on June 27, 2025. Financial comfort letters provide assurances to creditors, lenders and suppliers that the government will guarantee funding or prop up an organisation if required.
Zoos Victoria posted a net operating deficit of $5.6 million in the 2024-25 financial year, after its operating expenses jumped to $137 million, a $9.3 million increase on the previous year.
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