Coalition can’t cut 41,000 public service jobs in five years without breaking election promise, analysis shows

Majority of staff who leave each year have frontline jobs, meaning the Coalition will have to replace them or break its pledge

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The Coalition cannot meet its target of downsizing government roles by 41,000 over the next five years without losing positions in departments it has pledged to protect, a Guardian Australia analysis shows.

Peter Dutton walked back his pledge to immediately reverse 41,000 jobs, if elected, from the public service on Monday, vowing instead to reduce numbers through natural attrition" over a five-year period in his bid to wind back wasteful spending".

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