If you have any discussion regarding trimming workers one of the first bits of data has to be do they provide excellent service
In the case of Australian bureaucrats the answer is a resounding no
Yes there are some people trying to do their jobs but they are regulated to within an inch of their lives and simply can't achieve any results
So the only answer is big H/D chainsaws and strip the departments bare and then rebuild slowly as required
Only by making dramatic change can the public sector culture be changed
Watch this clip or listen to Musk ( in his home base) and they both say the only way to achieve anything is to cut the bureaucrats out of their systems and then present the finished product to the government
Also the public sector figures are probably wrong as there are so many contractors and others who are in effect de-facto government employees which would push those 17% figures much higher
