Canberra, April 7, 2025 – The Coalition has reversed its stance on key public service policies, softening its position on work-from-home arrangements and offering new details on its plan to reduce the size of the public sector.
Speaking on Sky News with anchor Peter Stefanovic, Shadow Finance Minister Jane Hume confirmed that under a Dutton Coalition Government, flexible working arrangements, including the option to work from home, would be protected and enshrined in policy – a shift from previous rhetoric that had sparked concern among public servants.
“We’ve listened to feedback from across the country, not just from Canberra-based workers, but from those in regional and metropolitan Australia who rely on flexible work to deliver essential services efficiently,” Hume said.
While defending the Coalition’s broader strategy to streamline government operations, Hume emphasized that the proposed reduction of 41,000 public sector jobs over five years would occur through natural attrition and a hiring freeze, with no forced redundancies.
The policy rethink follows mounting criticism from the Labor Government and backlash from public sector employees, particularly women and workers outside Canberra, who felt the initial proposal was out of touch with modern workplace expectations.
Hume rejected accusations that the policy shift was driven by internal polling or fears of losing city and female voters. However, she acknowledged concerns about the overuse of remote work in Canberra, citing examples of missed mentoring opportunities for graduates and key meetings where in-person stakeholders were met with remote counterparts.
“There is no doubt there has been overuse of work-from-home arrangements in some parts of the public service,” Hume said, but reiterated that flexibility must be retained where it leads to better productivity and outcomes.
Stefanovic pressed the Minister repeatedly on why the Coalition did not foresee the reaction to its earlier policy, questioning whether the campaign was being run “on the fly.”
Hume denied any suggestion of poor planning, instead accusing Labor of launching a misleading “scare campaign” that falsely suggested the Coalition’s policies would apply to the private sector.
“This was never about the private sector – it’s completely outrageous that Labor would suggest otherwise,” she said.
When asked about conservative voters who supported the original hardline approach, Hume reassured them that the Coalition’s core mission remained intact: delivering an “effective and efficient public service that respects taxpayer dollars.”
She pointed to what she described as “wasteful spending” under Labor, including hundreds of thousands of dollars on speechwriters, embassy artworks, and ceremonial music commissions, as examples of financial mismanagement the Coalition would stamp out.
As the campaign enters its second week, the Coalition’s recalibration signals an attempt to broaden its appeal without losing its fiscal conservative base – a balancing act that could define its electoral success.
