AUSTRALIA’S opposition party today withdrew election promises to prevent public servants from working from home and to slash more than one-in-five federal public-sector jobs.

Opposition leader Peter Dutton announced his right-wing Liberal Party had dropped its pledge that public servants would be required to work in their offices five days a week except in exceptional circumstances.

Mr Dutton told Nine Network television: “I think we made a mistake in relation to this policy.

“I think it’s important that we say that and recognise it and our intention was to make sure that where taxpayers are working hard and their money is being spent to pay wages, that it’s being spent efficiently.”

The opposition also withdrew a promise to use forced redundancy payments to slash 41,000 jobs from the 185,000 positions in the Australian Public Service. 

The reductions would instead be achieved through natural attrition and an employment freeze, he said.

Mr Dutton’s announcements were the first significant policy shifts since Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called the May 3 election last month.

Mr Albanese, whose Labour Party has accused its opponents of mimicking US President Donald Trump, urged voters not to believe that Mr Dutton now supported flexible work arrangements for public servants.

“He’s now pretending that that programme won’t proceed,” Mr Albanese told reporters.