Australia’s public service is bloated and inefficient

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Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), published in The Australian, shows that 26,100 permanent positions have been added to the federal public service since Labor took office in May 2022.

Commonwealth government surge

Source ABS (Chart from The Australian)

The annual public sector wages bill has risen from $32.5 billion in June 2022 to more than $37 billion, and the federal public sector workforce has risen to 365,400.

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About the author
Leith van Onselen is Chief Economist at the MB Fund and MB Super. He is also a co-founder of MacroBusiness. Leith has previously worked at the Australian Treasury, Victorian Treasury and Goldman Sachs.