Tuesday 10 November 2026The airline says it will try to redeploy affected staff, while the Australian Services Union calls the news shocking.
Featured image: Photo by Bahnfrend (CC BY-SA 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons. Illustrative image of a Qantas Airbus A330.
Key facts
- Qantas will cut about 850 corporate positions under a multi-year partnership with Accenture.
- The first phase covers finance, procurement and marketing, with the first changes expected by mid-2027.
- Some services will be delivered by Accenture, mostly in India and partly in Australia.
- Qantas says it will try to redeploy as many affected staff as possible.
- Qantas shares rose by more than 5 per cent at the close.
The announcement
Qantas will cut about 850 corporate positions under a multi-year partnership with the professional services firm Accenture, the ABC reported. Chief executive Vanessa Hudson announced the changes in an all-staff email, describing it as hard news for some. The first phase covers finance, procurement and marketing, with the first changes expected by mid-2027. Some services will be delivered by Accenture, mostly in India and partly in Australia.
Ms Hudson said Qantas has more than 1000 legacy applications that were not built to work together, and that the deal would speed up innovation and the use of artificial intelligence. She said Qantas would invest more than $1 billion a year in technology and carry out its largest fleet renewal. The company said it would try to redeploy as many affected staff as possible.
Union response
The Australian Services Union’s Scott Cowen called the news really shocking, saying the union was told in August that there was no plan to move 1000 jobs offshore. The union says most of the affected jobs are in Sydney. Angus McFarland of the ASU described the news as devastating, and the union has called for regulation of offshoring.
Markets and background
Qantas shares rose by more than 5 per cent at the close of trading on Tuesday. Qantas reported a 2025-26 statutory profit after tax of $1.29 billion. Accenture, an Irish-based company listed on the New York Stock Exchange, reported revenue of US$74.2 billion in its 2025-26 financial year.
Other large Australian companies have used Accenture for similar arrangements. Telstra’s $700 million joint venture with the firm in 2025 was followed by 209 job cuts revealed in 2026, and Coles has reportedly planned to move up to 1000 jobs to India through Accenture. On 6 November, Qantas also flagged cuts to about 4 per cent of Qantas and Jetstar flights and possible fare rises because of fuel prices.
What happens next
Qantas says it will consult affected staff and their union in the coming months, with changes starting by mid-2027. The Australian Services Union says it will fight for every job.
More from this day: News Today: 10 November 2026, Australia and World Headlines
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