Election 2025: Peter Dutton says 41,000 public servants cut ‘only’ from Canberra

There were 68,435 public servants in the ACT at the end of June 2024, Australian Public Service Commission figures show: 41,000 workers represents 60 per cent of that total figure.

Peter Dutton and Liberal candidate for Lyons Susie Bower stopped for fuel to talk about the Coalition’s petrol price policy in Sorell in Hobart. Picture: Richard Dobson/NewsWire

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Peter Dutton says all of the 41,000 public service cuts he has promised would come from Canberra, a dramatic cut that would reduce the headcount by more than a half as the latest figure.

The Opposition Leader had previously promised the cuts but had provided scant detail.

Campaigning in Hobart on Thursday, Mr Dutton said the 41,000 reduction would “only” be in Canberra.

He said a Coalition government would cut “none” of the public service jobs in Hobart.

“We’ve been clear about that,” he said. “In Canberra … We’ve been very clear about that from day one.”

There were 68,435 public servants located in the Australian Capital Territory by the end of June 2024, Australian Public Service Commission figures show. Forty-one thousand represents 60 per cent of that total figure.

Mr Dutton had not previously said the 41,000 cuts would be confined to Canberra, but he did previously suggest the Coalition’s now-abandoned policy to force public servants back into the office would be limited to public servants based in Canberra, who represented 36.9 per cent of the total APS workforce at last count.

Mr Dutton has so far declined to say from which departments a Coalition government would cut, but he has specified the reductions would not be in “frontline” roles, that the headcount reductions would not be through sackings but “natural attrition” over five years, and that this would save an estimated $7bn a year.

Anthony Albanese seized on the comments, saying it was evidence Mr Dutton was not fit to be prime minister.

“That’s outrageous,” the Prime Minister said. “That means Services Australia, that has their headquarters there, [is gone]. That delivers payments to pensioners, that delivers payments to people who are out of work, that delivers emergency payments for people who’ve been through natural disasters.

“The National Emergency Management Agency that’s been established by us [is] gone. That provides the national leadership and support when there’s a natural disaster in this country.

“The Australian Signals Directorate, all of our security and intelligence agencies.

“Where does Peter Dutton think they are based? They are based in Canberra.”

Mr Dutton said he stood by the $7bn figure the Coalition said the measure would save.

The Coalition earlier in the election campaign abandoned its public service work-from-home policy, saying it had “listened” and “flexible work, including working from home, is part of getting the best out of any workforce”.