Labor warns Coalition’s pledge to cut public service jobs risks making Australians ‘less safe’

Labor has defended its three-year public service hiring spree, accusing Coalition of putting national security at risk with threat to cut jobs.

A $53 billion increase in national security spending under Labor to keep Australian’s “safe” will be undermined by public service cuts that capture defence and border force roles, the federal government has warned.

In an exclusive interview ahead of Tuesday’s federal budget, Finance Minister Katy Gallagher revealed spending on Australia’s security over the next four years has grown by 20 per cent compared to the funding in forward estimates prior to Labor taking office.

Finance Minister Katy Gallagher says 36,000 public service jobs created by Labor includes national security roles. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

She said this had put the government “on track” to achieve its goal of lifting Defence spending to 2.4 per cent of GDP within the decade, adding there was a “lot going on in the world” that made it critical to find the room for further security funding in the budget.

The 2025-26 budget will also show Labor has found an additional $2.1bn in savings and reprioritisations, including $270 million from reduced spending on consultants, contractors and labour hire.

Ms Gallagher defended Labor’s three-year public servant hiring spree saying the opposition’s pledge to cut the 36,000 extra roles would include about 5700 “necessary” jobs in defence and security agencies.

Australia is on track to lift Defence spending to 2.4 per cent of GDP. Picture: Australian Defence Force / AFP

Among these are 2140 civilian personnel roles in the Department of Defence, 1410 jobs in the Department of Home Affairs and Australian Border Force, 665 jobs at the Australian Submarine Agency and 910 from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

“Defending our national interests, delivering AUKUS, maintaining a robust immigration system, and looking after our veterans requires funding and requires people,” Ms Gallagher said,

“This is safety is at risk under Peter Dutton who is more obsessed with slashing government jobs.”

The Opposition leader has repeatedly said public service cuts would not include “front line” positions, but Ms Gallagher said Mr Dutton’s characterisation of the 36,000 positions as Canberra desk jobs was not the reality.

“The 36,000 are not all in Canberra for a start,” she said.

“It infuriates me this because it’s easy politics right to say, cut public servants and they’re all waste, and you can find examples and make it everyone shock horror, but the reality is the public service has to be resourced to do the job we want it to do.”

Ms Gallagher said one of the “biggest movements” in the budget was the timely processing of veterans’ compensation claims, arguing that for the Coalition to maintain this and other functions like Medicare and natural disaster payment assistance there would have to be an increase in costly consultants.

“There’s no doubt that they will be replaced by consultants, because the work needs to get done,” she said.

Ms Gallagher, who also holds the women and government services portfolios, identified women’s safety as an ongoing priority for Labor’s second term.

“We’re seeing good improvements in economic indicators for women, the investments in women’s health will improve health indicators, and then we’ve just got to keep focused on the safety front,” she said.

Originally published as Labor warns Coalition’s pledge to cut public service jobs risks making Australians ‘less safe’