While the Allan Labor Government puts the squeeze on hospital funding, is overseeing crumbling roads, police and teacher shortages, a mental health crisis, and will soon be paying $25 million per day in interest – it has managed to increase the public service by 94.6% over the past 10 years.
Gippsland East Nationals’ MP, Tim Bull, said government data shows that between 2014 when Labor took office and 2023, the population rose by 16.4%, (5.84m to 6.40m) but the public service full time equivalent (FTE) staff grew by nearly six times that amount.

“The public service figures provide an astounding comparison:

June 2014
Employees 30,624
FTE staff 27,888
Exec staff 647

June 2023
Employees 57,386
FTE staff 54,760
Exec staff 1,949

“Not only have we had a full-time equivalent staff increase of 96.4%, but the number of executive staff on much higher wages has grown from 647 to 1,949 – an increase of 201%, which has meant wages in the public sector have doubled,” Mr Bull said.
“These figures are from the Labor Government’s own “State of the Public Sector” report and are staggering when one considers the population growth is minor in comparison. It shows just how wasteful this government is.
“This, at a time when we have hospitals across the state being told they have to cut costs by Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas and are reducing staff as a result.
“Some hospital employees have even been told in memos to turn off the lights when they leave a room to save money, and we see our roads crumbling before our own eyes with less funding than five years ago.
“Meanwhile the Allan Government Ministers surround themselves with bureaucrats and jobs for mates,” he said.
“In relation to the $25 million per day the government will soon be paying in interest alone (Labor figures), it could probably start by looking at its own backyard first if it wanted to save some funds – rather than ask it of our essential health services.”