About this time last year, we saw Prime Minister Anthony Albanese speak emotionally at a press conference in defence of the public sector workers who were working out of a car park in Hervey Bay.

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He spoke in support of diligent front-line staff who ensured people affected by the flooding caused by Cyclone Alfred had access to the financial support they needed as quickly as possible.

The Prime Minister emphasised how valued these trained and trusted public sector workers were from agencies including Services Australia, Bureau of Meteorology, National Emergency Management Agency to name just a few.

What we saw was the coming together of a strong public service united for the greater good of our country and its people.

The importance of public sector jobs was at the forefront of the federal election political debate.

Plans to cut more than 40,000 public sector jobs and working-from-home rights were central to the Coalition's policies, and ultimately their fate on election night.

In May 2025, Australia by and large voted for a strong and capable public service that could deliver for them and their community.

They had started to feel the benefits of a first-term Albanese government's efforts in rebuilding and reinvesting in public sector capacity. Wait times for student claims to be processed were reduced to an average of 15 days, compared to 27 in 2021-22; new parents now only wait an average of four days for their paid parental leave claim to be processed compared to 17 days in 2021-22 because of these investments.

We saw the Department of Veterans' Affairs making progress on the backlog of veterans' claims which had blown out to 42,000 under the Coalition government.

Australian veterans, students, pensioners, jobseekers, new parents, people with disabilities and their families, and people in aged care, were feeling and........

© Canberra Times