In a move described as everything from a pork-barrelling to a sea-change, 250 Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) jobs will move from Canberra to Geelong.

The new positions will be offered at Geelong’s “ABS centre of excellence”, to be opened by 2016.

Some say the move will bolster the polling struggle for Victoria's Liberal government, but it has created new concerns at ABS in Canberra, where at least 350 jobs have already been cut.

It comes in the same week as word that another 300 positions from an unnamed part of the Commonwealth bureaucracy will be shipped off to the NSW Central Coast. 

The cuts and moves are linked to broad efforts to remove 6500 public service jobs from the national capital's economy by 2017.

But Geelong needs jobs too, as the closure of major Alcoa, Ford, Boral Cement, Qantas and Target facilities lands a big hit on the local workforce.

ACT Chief Minister Katy Gallagher says people and politicians need to care about Canberra's economy as much as they do about Geelong's.

“Apparently there's jobs and funding to spare when one of their state Liberal mates needs a quick election goodie,” Fraser Labor MP Andrew Leigh has told the Canberra Times.

“The Abbott government needs to realise the public service is not a pork barrel that it can dip into whenever the state Liberals are behind in the polls,” Dr Leigh said.

“We need smart, long-term investment in the public service which prioritises the national good.”

Community and Public Sector Union deputy president Alistair Waters said it “looks to be nothing more than robbing Peter to pay Paul”.

“We are seeking an undertaking from management that ABS employees will not be forced to uproot their lives and move to Geelong or be made redundant.

“We are also seeking assurances that these jobs will not come at the expense of other jobs from the service.

“We expect the agency's management to consult with us prior to embarking on the next steps of what is a significant development for the ABS and we are writing to the acting chief statistician to request more detail.”