Labor hits back at Coalition threat to public service

The public service is set to become a hot election issue, with the Opposition ramping up its rhetoric over the size of the service – and the Federal Government being quick to call it out.

Opposition frontbenchers are increasingly using speeches and media opportunities to suggest a Coalition government will slash public service numbers, with a sharp escalation of such commentary notices in recent weeks.

Since the Federal Budget was delivered in May, the Coalition has attacked Labor’s spend on public servants, noting the budget provided for 36,000 new public sector jobs over the forward estimates.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton used his budget in reply to label public sector jobs as a misplaced priority.

Since then, his shadow ministers have been on the attack, making no secret of their plan to cut the public service.

“You’ve got to ask yourself, do we need 36,000 more public servants?” Mr Dutton told the recent Minerals Council gala dinner.

Nationals leader David Littleproud has also been pushing the cause.

“That is our first step. The Nationals have made it clear that we will get rid of those in Canberra,” he said in a media interview.

“There will be 36,000 public servants that will go. We don’t need more public servants.”

And in a separate interview: “The first thing we’ll do is sack those 36,000 public servants in Canberra, that’s $24 billion worth.”

When Shadow Assistant Minister for Government Waste Reduction, James Stevens, was asked during a radio interview last month if the Coalition had the “mettle to follow through” in sacking public servants, he replied: “Well, that’s part of my job.”

Shadow for the Public Service, Jane Hume, also has some words of warning for the public service.

“Of course, there’s going to be a reassessment of the size of the public service,” she said in a recent media interview.

And previously, in an address to the Sydney Institute: “My concern, I think, with the 36,000 public servants is, well, there’s lots of concerns … Canberra has enough bureaucrats as it is.”

Cutting 36,000 public service jobs amounts to roughly 20 per cent of the workforce.

And despite it being an easy Canberra-bash for the Coalition, the fact is that a majority of the workforce is located outside of the capital.

Of the new public service jobs being created, almost three-quarters are in other states and territories across the country.

Labor is now using the threat of public service job losses to break down what the Coalition’s agenda could mean at an agency level – and what impact job losses would have on the public.

The government’s list insists the Opposition’s plan for the public service will mean 4000 jobs cut in Services Australia – delaying payments call wait times – and 1000 jobs cut in the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, leaving veterans with less support.

Additionally, there would be 3000 jobs cut in the Australian Tax Office; 3600 jobs cut in the National Disability Insurance Agency; 2700 jobs cut in Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water; 1300 jobs cut in the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry; and 4000 jobs cut in Defence, the Department of Home Affairs and the Australian Federal Police.

In a concerted effort over the weekend, government ministers have ramped up their campaign to highlight the Coalition’s plans for the public service.

Public Service Minister Katy Gallagher said: “All Australians should be worried about what Peter Dutton will do to the public service if he gets into office.

“He’ll cut 20 per cent of the workforce that is responsible for delivering the essential services that Australians rely on every day.

“Despite what the Liberals will say, these are not just jobs in Canberra. These are staff in Services Australia, ATO and NDIA in places like Geelong, Townsville and the Central Coast that will face the axe.

“This is all part of Dutton’s plan for $315 billion in cuts to vital services such as Medicare, pensions and housing at a time when people are already feeling the pinch.

“Rather than the lazy conservative cutting, we should be investing in a strong public service to deliver the services Australians need and deserve.”

She was backed up by Assistant Minister for the Public Service Patrick Gorman, who claimed “Peter Dutton’s cuts” to the APS will hit every community in Australia.

“The Liberals and Nationals want longer wait times in Services Australia centres in regional communities, and they will send 36,000 people in cities across Australia into unemployment queues,” he said.

“You only need to watch their behaviour in Senate Estimates to know that they do not respect the Australian Public Service and have failed to acknowledge what a mess they left behind after 10 years in power.

“Public servants are our neighbours, family and friends, and their jobs should not be collateral damage in Peter Dutton’s quest for power.”