Canberra Liberals ACT Senate candidate Nick Tyrrell says public servants are worried about the Albanese government's tax changes.
"I have not heard from more public servants over any other issue in my time as a candidate, or in 10 years building up a business in this town," Mr Tyrrell told reporters at a local press conference with Opposition Leader Angus Taylor on Thursday.
The former Go Boat owner, who was preselected in November as the party's lead Senate candidate for the next federal election, said this month's budget had "really put a crimp in people's plans to invest in a new home."
"Public servants are just like anyone else," he said.
"They're saving for homes. They've got investments for their retirements. They might have an investment property that they're worried about the new rules on.
"They have been contacting me in droves."
Treasurer Jim Chalmers introduced new laws to wind back negative gearing and capital gains tax concessions to the Parliament on Thursday, in the first tranche of legislation to deliver controversial budget measures Labor says are needed to rebalance the tax system in favour of working Australians.
Mr Tyrrell's comments followed a question to Mr Taylor asking how many jobs a government he led would cut from the Australian public service, a move that would have ramifications for the ACT economy.
The opposition leader has refused to say how many roles would go as part of his pledge to get rid of "big government" and dismantle housing and climate change "bureaucracies", but has not ruled out taking the axe to the Australian public service.
Mr Taylor again declined to answer directly on Thursday, but said: "I want to see better government not bigger government, and that's always been my belief," he said.
"I'm sure Canberra will be right and it's important we have small businesses in Canberra that are successful into the future."
He then threw to Mr Tyrrell, who said: "The only government that is currently cutting the public service is the Labor government and [Finance and Public Service Minister and ACT Labor senator] Katy Gallagher."
"We've all heard about the voluntary redundancies," he said.
"We stand for a strong, independent, efficient public service and we know that that contributes dramatically to the success of small business in this town as well."
Senator Gallagher hit back, saying: "The Liberals have zero credibility in Canberra because everyone knows when the Liberals get the opportunity they cut public service jobs in Canberra and hurt our economy."
"Last term, they threatened to sack 40,000 Canberra-based public service jobs and have already promised to abolish climate change and housing public service jobs as part of the budget reply," she said.
"This year's budget sees a modest increase in the size of the Australian Public Service."
Multiple agencies are embarking on VR rounds, although the budget showed an increase in ASL of 3900 across the APS since a year earlier, including a significant boost to Defence to support the AUKUS program.
ASL is now 217,256, a figure that is about 45,000 higher than when Labor won government in 2022.
In Senate estimates on Wednesday, Senator Gallagher said when asked by Liberal senator Claire Chandler if she was concerned about national security agencies offering voluntary redundancies: "Agencies have to manage to their budget."
Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water department secretary Mike Kaiser confirmed that more than 200 public servants had expressed interest in taking a voluntary redundancy, after the agency opened a round.
Infrastructure secretary Jim Betts told an estimates hearing on Wednesday that his department had "avoided the need for voluntary redundancy rounds of the kind we're seeing in other departments," although there were a small number of "localised" VRs.
Other agencies offering voluntary redundancies include the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), National Indigenous Australians Agency (NIAA), Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) and Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (PM&C).
