Governments will always expand their size and remit if given a chance, so we need a strong opposing force from people who understand the cost and trade-offs, to keep them in check.

There’s an optimal ratio of public servants to support private employees in an economy, and going beyond that becomes a drain on our finances, productivity and people’s personal freedoms.

Australia’s public sector isn’t just ‘a bit big’, its gotten way out of hand:

Government Jobs are a Net Drain on the Economy

When the government touts low unemployment figures, they’re not telling the whole story.

Private sector jobs are a sign of success, both an indicator and driver of prosperity, but more jobs in the public sector are a net drain. Stop pouring our tax money into public jobs:

Adding jobs to the public sector has negative effects including:

• The additional staff need to be paid and provided offices, computers, etc. either by:
  • additional taxation
  • inflation; or
  • taking money away from more useful or productive areas of the budget
• increased red tape and regulation, which wastes people’s time, slowing productivity
• competes with employers in the private sector, driving up wages, which in turn drives up prices and inflation
• decreases government efficiency (per-capita productivity falls with more people involved)

If you find yourself in a hole, first stop digging. We then need to start aggressively trimming the fat. A leaner, more efficient government could get the same results with half the staff.

Policy Reforms

• Revert the size of government back to pre-COVID levels within 2 years
• Reduce regulation and welfare largesse, which will save costs in those programs as well as shedding headcount
• Performance KPIs for all public servants. Incentivise the best and cut the dead wood. Hold public servants to the same standards as any well-run business