Workers in the public sector may be feeling a distinct rumble of tough times ahead, with the sacking of three top-tier officials as one of the first acts of a cost-cutting Federal Government.

There has been talk of cut-backs and efficiencies to be made in the public sector for some time and it appears those rumours are becoming reality.

The Community and Public Sector Union has sprung to the defence of the first heads to roll under the Coalition’s guillotine, with the firing of federal departmental heads of Industry, Energy and Agriculture.

“These are highly experienced people who are being sacked for having implemented the previous government's policy,” CPSU's Nadine Flood says

“They didn't create that policy, they weren't elected to do that, they were doing their job and we shouldn't see the public service being politicised with these sorts of sackings... it hasn't happened for some years and it's not a good sign.”

The well-publicised public sector shake-up will reportedly see over a thousand staff from AusAID shunted into the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). It is unclear how staff numbers will survive after all the consolidation and cramming-together of previous departments, but the Federal Government has flagged around 12,000 jobs will be lost through natural attrition.

“I think there are real questions over the Coalition's plans to cut 12,000 jobs by natural attrition and we're hearing across the public service that that may not be achievable and we may be looking at redundancies,” Ms Flood says.

Federal Finance Minister Matthias Cormann has denied the Government is politicising the public sector, saying at least one of the executives had planned to leave anyway.

“We respect the public service we work closely with the public service,” Senator Cormann said.

“Obviously we have a very high regard for Treasury Secretary Dr [Martin] Parkinson... he's advised the Treasurer that he intended to depart from his current position by the middle of next year.”