However, the DSE would not confirm either the number of people or the exact location of the job cuts.

In an internal email, which The Courier has seen, DSE secretary Greg Wilson has told staff the move is part of the Baillieu Government initiative, announced in December last year, to reduce non-frontline public service roles over the next two years.

Community and Public Service Union state secretary Karen Batt said the move might affect staff carrying out fuel-reduction burns or fighting fires in national parks.

She said other jobs that might be affected were those involved in co-ordinating and fighting noxious weeds or getting rid of wild dogs.

“Up to 50 jobs in Ballarat and at least 75 to 80 jobs across the south-west region will go,” Ms Batt said.

“One in eight jobs across DSE will go.”

Ms Batt said the union believed that 200 to 250 positions would be shed.

“Given that so many of the DSE jobs are regionally based ... there will be quite an impact ... on Ballarat and the region,” she said.

Ms Batt said staff had been informed of the job cuts via the internal website.

“All that DSE have done is put something up on their intranet,” she said.

“They haven’t sent correspondence to the staff, they haven’t told them what the process will be, they haven’t responded to the correspondence from the union.

“They have treated people in an appalling way, with cavalier disregard.”

Ballarat MP Sharon Knight said job losses in the public sector are bad for local families.

“It is bad for our local economy,” Ms Knight said.

“Ted Baillieu just doesn’t care about workers in our community.”

In his email to the staff, dated February 20, Mr Wilson said ways to cut “non-frontline delivery roles” include not renewing some fixed-term contracts and voluntary departure packages.