What you said about Peter Dutton’s plan to cull public servants

Peter Dutton has outlined how his mega Medicare boost would be funded – and not everyone is a fan. HAVE YOUR SAY

• Public service: Oversized or undervalued?

Peter Dutton’s 36,000 public servants cull has kickstarted an almighty debate.

It was revealed a federal Coalition will fund its pledge to match Labor’s huge Medicare boost through $6bn in savings generated by making cuts to the group hired under the Albanese government.

Opposition Leader Dutton said that unlike Labor his party’s $8.5bn Medicare scheme would be fully funded.

He also insisted his party was the underdog despite another poll putting the Coalition well ahead going into the election, which could be called within days as Labor prepared to move to its Sydney campaign headquarters by March 1.

His comments came after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese pledged on the weekend to pour $8.5bn into the scheme in a bid to raise the bulk billing rate to 90 per cent in five years, a target doctors have predicted would be very hard to achieve.

Mr Dutton matched the pledge soon after but maintained his promise was well thought out.

“We have looked at how we can fund this. It’s a lot of money but we’ve identified scaling back of the public service, which has grown phenomenally under the Labor Party – 36,000 additional public servants,’’ he said.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton in Annerley, Brisbane, with his Moreton candidate Henry Swindon (right). Picture: NewsWire / John Gass

Mr Dutton’s plan immediately ignited a war of words among readers.

Many welcomed the scheme to cull public servants; others said politicians should be the ones on the chopping board.

Some insisted that the choice remains the best of a bad bunch.

See what you had to say below and join the conversation >>>

WHAT YOU SAID

Go Dutton

Christine

Some one needs to get rid of the free loaders in the public service. Go Dutton

Bob

Great move Mr Dutton What do these Public Servants do all day I have been waiting 10 months for a Freedom Of Information request to be processed It’s ridiculous

Jamie

Good idea, some of the States and Territories could do with the same – some are bloated with too many overpaid senior managers.

Michael

He’s not sacking anyone. He’s just not employing them. Big difference.

Peter Dutton says his Medicare pledge will be fully funded through public service cuts. Picture: NewsWire / John Gass

Cull the pollies

Peter

The governments on both sides would save billions of $ that the tax payers are funding if they removed a lot of the expensive perks the politicians are getting.

Hakan

Make going to the GP cheaper but make it harder for 36000 people to pay their rent. Sound solution!

Barryji Anthony

Could we get better a better ROI to sack all the politicians and outsource their jobs?

Nathan

Ask Elon down under to do the job. Then Dutton can abrogate all responsibility.

I have an idea

Graeme

Trouble in managing the Public Service. Why not revert to the tried and proven Liberal way.

Privatise it.

Clay

If he just sacked all the public servants that refused to turn up to the office he would cover that easily.

Matt

To those suggesting that fired public sector workers will need to be replaced by consultants or contractors that cost more, who’s to say that they’ll need replacement?

Richard

The biggest cut should come from indigenous programs. Those peoples will benefit from health initiatives as well, so peel back some of those ineffective programs.

Peter Dutton’s plan has divided opinion. Picture: NewsWire / John Gass

Best of a bad bunch?

Ken

Labor increase the public service, state and federal to ensure more Labor voters. See ACT as an example. Much the same as importing more and more immigrants as they will also vote for Labor.

Debbie

When Albo was asked how he was going to pay for this policy he came up with in the last budget they had a secret funding scheme for it, as soon as he said that I knew it was a load of rubbish.

Margaret

I don’t see how he can claim to be underdog if ahead in polls. I hope this is not indicative of his convoluted logic in general.

JMC

The Albanese government produced 2 consecutive budget surpluses and paid down $200 billion in national debt. They have managed the economy very well under difficult global economic circumstances.

Originally published as What you said about Peter Dutton’s plan to cull public servants