The call to sack 41,000 public servants is almost always being pitched as cutting public servants in Canberra but a look at the number of Commonwealth public servants from June 2022 to June 2024 in the most recent public sector employment numbers form the Bureau of Statistics shows that around half of the increase in public servants since the last election have been outside of Canberra.

And if all the 41,000 to be cut were only those in Canberra that would mean the there would be fewer public servants in Canberra than was the case during the last LNP government and much fewer when you take into account the size of Australia population. Is Peter Dutton now saying that the public service was bloated under Scott Morrison??

Sacking “Canberra public servants” might appeal to the talk back radio hosts, but at some point, Peter Dutton will need to say who is being cut, and where and then explain what it will mean for services.