Coalition flags cuts to advertising, junkets alongside slashing public service and Welcome to Country review

Peter Dutton has been likened to Donald Trump amid a vow to slash a ballooning public service, while Welcome to Country funding is also set to be shaken up.

The Coalition has signaled taxpayer-funded foreign junkets and political advertisements will be severely slashed if they win the election, as Peter Dutton slammed the public service for being filled with roles like “culture and diversity” advisors, while cash for Welcome to Country ceremonies is also in the firing line.

The Coalition’s waste reduction spokesman, James Stevens, told The Telegraph “every dollar the Government wastes comes out of the pockets of everyday Australians” while revealing areas where further cuts could be made, on a day where his colleagues flagged major changes to government spending.

“Under a Coalition government you’ll see an end to glitzy diplomatic nosh-ups, pointless overseas travel and blatantly political advertising on the taxpayer’s dime,” he said.

It came after Opposition leader Mr Dutton, in his sharpest rebuke of the Australian Public Service (APS) yet, took aim at the makeup of government staff under Labor, alongside a vow to slash the number of Canberra bureaucrats.

Opposition leader Peter Dutton during at Q&A session after delivering keynote address at the Menzies Research Centre event held at the Shangri-La Hotel in Sydney. Photo: Britta Campion / The Australian

“I have not met an Australian across the country…who can tell me their lives are better off because the Government’s employed 36,000 public servants in Canberra,” Mr Dutton said in a speech at the Menzies Research Centre on Friday.

Mr Dutton also criticized new roles he claimed were detracting from the value provided by the public service.

“Now, positions advertised have included culture, diversity and inclusion advisers, change managers, and internal communication specialists,” he said.

“Such positions...do nothing to improve the lives of everyday Australians.

“They’re certainly not frontline service delivery roles that can make a difference to people’s lives.”

Coalition government waste reduction spokesman James Stevens. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Mariuz

His comments come in the wake of re-elected US President Donald Trump signing executive orders scrapping Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives throughout the country’s government and military.

Earlier on Friday, newly-appointed Coalition spokeswoman for government efficiency Jacinta Nampijinpa Price signaled funding for Welcome to Country ceremonies could also be redirected, as part of a major review of the billions of dollars spent on Indigenous programs.

“I don’t believe that we should be spending $450,000 a term on Welcome to Country, when that isn’t actually improving the life of a marginalised Indigenous Australian,” Senator Price told the ABC.

The Telegraph revealed earlier this year that Welcome to Country ceremonies at Australian government events have cost taxpayers more than $450,000 in the past two years.

Senator Jacinta Price.. Picture: Patrick Hamilton / AFP

The Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU), which represents members in the APS, likened Mr Dutton to Mr Trump, with National Secretary Melissa Donnelly saying his comments were “straight from the Trump playbook”.

“What Mr Dutton fails to comprehend is that a workforce that reflects the public they serve is better able to deliver essential services effectively,” she said.

“Inclusion and diversity may sound like an easy target to Mr Dutton and Mr Trump, but for people who access public services, the value of having someone who speaks their language and understands their experience is immeasurable.”

Originally published as Coalition flags cuts to advertising, junkets alongside slashing public service and Welcome to Country review