In a surprising turn of events, Australian opposition leader Peter Dutton has withdrawn election proposals patterned after U.S. businessman Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). They involved cutting “wasteful spending,” eliminating 41,000 federal employees, and banning remote work for government officials.
Dutton admitted on April 7 that they made a mistake and acknowledged that these policies had not been well-received by the people. “We’re listening to what people have to say. We’ve made a mistake in relation to the policy. We apologize for that,” he stated in a Channel Nine interview.
The opposition coalition had been critical of cutting the number of new public service positions being created by the ruling Labor government since the 2022 election, labeling these positions as “wasteful spending.” Dutton continuously condemned the new jobs as “Canberra-based,” despite the fact that around 75% of them are located outside the capital.
Mixed signals from the coalition came on the issue of job cuts, with Dutton avoiding being clear on whether cuts would come through redundancies or by failing to replace leaving staff. Labor leader Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s party continued to argue that such actions would destabilize government services, which could slow down the distribution of funds to welfare recipients and veterans.
Just a month ago, shadow public service minister Jane Hume vowed to cut back on remote working arrangements, with a Dutton government boasting to make all government workers spend five days at the office each week. But on Monday, the coalition retreated from the stance, reiterating that there would be no compulsory office hours.
The coalition now plans to “sensibly reduce” the Australian Public Service by 41,000 employees over five years by natural attrition and a freeze on hiring without any forced redundancies. Hume said, “We have listened, and understand that flexible work, including working from home, is part of getting the best out of any workforce.”
As a counter, PM Albanese cautioned against taking Dutton’s backflip seriously, saying he would implement the cuts and dismantle flexible work arrangements as soon as possible. “He will rip up flexible work and slash the services you rely on the moment he gets the chance,” Albanese said.
