Liberal Party Retreats on Work-from-Home and Public Sector Job Cuts
Peter Dutton, leader of Australia's opposition Liberal Party, announced the withdrawal of two key election promises: enforcing public servants to work in offices full-time and cutting 41,000 federal public sector jobs. The policy shift comes amid criticism from the Labor Party and concerns over workplace flexibility.
- Country:
- Australia
In a significant policy u-turn, Australia's opposition Liberal Party, led by Peter Dutton, has abandoned its controversial proposals regarding public sector employment. The original plan to mandate office attendance for public servants and reduce jobs by 41,000 has been shelved.
Dutton stated the intention was efficiency in spending taxpayer money but acknowledged potential oversights in policy design. The opposition now opts for attrition and an employment freeze rather than enforced redundancies.
This shift follows critiques from the current Labor government, which suggests the conservative approach mimicked tactics from abroad, notably the downsizing initiatives led by US figures like Donald Trump and Elon Musk.
(With inputs from agencies.)

