Bureaucrat bloat is crushing Australia’s productivity

Tuesday 1 September 2026

Luke Kinsella at The AFR has written a fantastic report on the rising number of federal public servants under the Albanese government.

Australia’s federal public service has grown dramatically under the Albanese government—up 23% or around 36,700 staff since 2022.

The APS is expanding by 28 new staff per day, reaching 195,847 employees by December 2025. 92 of 103 agencies have grown.

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About the author

Leith van Onselen is Chief Economist at the MB Fund and MB Super. He is also a co-founder of MacroBusiness. Leith has previously worked at the Australian Treasury, Victorian Treasury and Goldman Sachs.