The eyewatering cost of shrinking the public service with redundancies

The Albanese government has spent more than $700 million on redundancies and exit payments in four years as it attempts to trim the public sector's head count.

Final Budget Outcomes released by Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Finance Minister Katy Gallagher show redundancies have cut government wages spending. Picture by Keegan Carroll, Shutterstock

Spending on wages and salaries hit $31.34 billion in 2025-26, final budget outcome documents released by Treasury on Monday show, beating budget projections by $443 million.