Liberal City candidates offer cashback to businesses with employees in the office full time

A cash incentive to get more workers returning to city offices has been pledged in the Liberal ticket in October’s city elections.

The Liberal ticket for Melbourne’s council elections is offering cold, hard cash to businesses who get their workers back into the office, in a bid to revitalise the city.

In a plan officially announced on Monday evening, mayoral candidate Mariam Riza and running mate Luke Martin said they would offer a five per cent cashback on council rates to organisations whose staff return to onsite work five days a week.

“Getting workers back into the city is vital to ensuring our retailers and hospitality businesses are given every chance to survive and thrive,” Ms Riza said.

“This rebate will give businesses a real incentive to get workers back to the office and help get Melbourne city back in business.”

The Liberal ticket for Melbourne City led by mayoral candidate Mariam Riza (right) wants to offer businesses a cash incentive to get workers back into the office.

Melbourne’s CBD has the highest office vacancy rate in the nation, new data recently revealed.

The Liberals also said they would “lead by example” and get all council workers back into Town Hall five days a week within a year of being elected.

The rates cashback would return as much as $9m to the pockets of city traders.

The Liberals are not the only candidates for city council to make getting workers back into the CBD a priority.

Independent candidate Arron Wood has also pledged to mandate Town Hall staff being in the office – albeit for four days a week rather than the Liberals’ proposed five.

Currently, City of Melbourne employees are expected to work from the office five days a week, but alternative work from home arrangements can be made in individual cases.

Fellow mayoral aspirant Carlton great Anthony Koutoufides has promised to shout city workers a free Monday morning coffee for at least a month in a bid to lure them back into town.

Encouraging workers back into the city full time has become a central theme of many mayoral tickets ahead of October’s council elections. Picture: David Caird

The Liberals’ cashback incentive would be available to businesses of all sizes, and would largely rely on “self-reporting,” Mr Martin said.

As a business owner himself, the candidate for Deputy Lord Mayor said he was aware of the challenging climate for small companies and sole traders.

“This shouldn’t just be a policy for big business,” Mr Martin said.

“It should be a reward for the small businesses who, let’s face it, they’ve really been smashed around by Covid and the high costs of doing business.

“You’ve got to be pretty gutsy to be a small-business owner and we really want to make sure we’re there to help them out (and) encourage them.”

Mr Martin acknowledged the limitations around city council’s influence in establishing a return to office culture, calling on the state government to take the lead and enforce an end to work from home for public servants.

“The overall mission is to get as many workers back in the city as possible and get council workers back,” he said.

“We’d love our friends in Spring Street to bring the public servants back too.”

Originally published as Liberal City candidates offer cashback to businesses with employees in the office full time