Andrew Leigh (Fenner, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

When Labor took office, veterans seeking support faced a backlog of 42,000 claims, with some waiting over two years to have their case looked at. This was the direct result of a decade of public service cuts and outsourcing. Labor set out to fix it. Ninety-seven per cent of the veteran claim backlog has been cleared. Veterans' claims that once took over 100 days are now allocated within two weeks.

But the coalition wants to backtrack. The coalition plan to cut 36,000 public service jobs, reducing the workforce by 20 per cent. This isn't speculation. The Nationals leader has said outright:

The first thing we'll do is sack those 36,000 public servants …

The shadow Treasurer has dismissed investment in the public service as 'unnecessary spending'. But what they call 'unnecessary spending' are essential services. Public servants process 121 million Centrelink and Medicare claims each year, manage aged care and the NDIS, handle border security and protect our nation from cyberthreats. Under the coalition, the Public Service was deliberately hollowed out. A staffing cap forced departments to rely on 54,000 private contractors. Between 2013 and 2022, departmental spending increased 35 per cent, yet Public Service staffing fell four per cent. The result? Longer wait times, declining service standards and essential government functions outsourced to overpriced consultants. At Services Australia, underfunding led to robodebt, unresolved claims and a blowout in processing times. Pressures on our biosecurity system put Australia at risk of pest outbreaks. In Home Affairs, staffing cuts weakened Australia's ability to combat organised crime and human trafficking.

Labor made a different choice. We lifted the staffing cap, reduced reliance on consultants and prioritised permanent skilled Public Service jobs. The result? Paid parental leave approvals, done in 31 days under the former government, went down to three days under us. Youth allowance applications that once took 28 days now take 10. At Services Australia alone, 3,000 additional frontline staff cleared half a million claims in just 10 weeks.

The coalition's plan would undo this progress. The reality is simple. Cutting 36,000 jobs won't make government services disappear; it'll just push the work back onto private consultants at a higher cost to taxpayers and with less transparency. The cuts wouldn't just hit Canberra; almost 63 per cent of the Public Service workforce is based outside the capital.

The election is a choice: do we invest in a public service fit for purpose or let right-wing ideologues weaken the institutions that hold the country together? If you want a government that works, don't backtrack with Dutton.