Relentless expansion of Australia’s public service since the COVID pandemic a slap in the face to families fighting the cost-of-living crisis

Relentless expansion of Australia’s public service since the COVID pandemic a slap in the face to families fighting the cost-of-living crisis - Nick Cater

"...The Australian’s Foreign Editor Greg Sheridan says federal public servants have amongst the most “closeted” and “lovely conditions” to work in. 

Defence Minister Richard Marles said that people in the Department of Defence have a right to disconnect. 

Mr Sheridan told Sky News host Andrew Bolt that they have “above average pay”. 

“A squillion types of leave … the idea that they need a new right to disconnect from the government … sometimes I just can’t follow what the Albanese government is on about.” 

There's nothing quite like a good crisis to expand the size of government.

• In 1939, on the eve of World War II, there were 68,000 Commonwealth public servants.
• A decade later, their ranks had almost tripled in size to 182,000.
• In June 2019 there were 242,000 Commonwealth public servants on the books.
• In June last year, there were 350,000, an increase of 44 per cent...
• (Today)There are more than 380,000 more hungry public servant mouths to feed than in 2019, with the Commonwealth government leading the way...