Why women are backing Anthony Albanese and turning on Peter Dutton over WFH vow

If elected, Peter Dutton has vowed to scrap a popular working measure, a stance that has contributed to a decline in his popularity among women compared to Anthony Albanese.

Recent polling has shown that Anthony Albanese is more popular with female voters than Peter Dutton.

Mr Dutton has vowed to scrap working from home measures if he is made Prime Minister, a change that business owner and mum of three Helen Whait said would be “a huge negative for women”.

“There is no way I could have done what I’ve done, both personally and professionally, if I had been tied to an office,” Ms Whait said.

Heidi Wolff and Helen Whait enjoy working from home. Picture: Tim Joy

“I love working from home; I can multitask, I can be talking on the phone while doing ironing, I can stop and put that dinner on in the slow cooker during my lunch break at home, I can put that extra load of washing in the machine, which means that I’m not up till midnight having to do washing … we can blend it all together, and I’m super productive.”

Ms Whait is the founder of ActivOT, the world’s only occupational therapy franchise.

All of her six “productive” employees spread out across the nation work from home.

“I’ve got a staff member in Sydney who actually probably couldn’t afford to keep paying the mortgage as well as having her children in childcare if she didn’t have this work from home model, she absolutely loves it” Ms Whait said.

“My staff are way more productive being able to work from home … I don’t need to clock watch them, the outcomes of what they achieve, I can see day in and day out, they’re incredible.”

While the 53-year-old said she is an undecided voter and will also be paying close attention to candidates’ policies on NDIS and the cost-of-living, Dutton’s proposed plans weigh heavily on her mind.

“I don’t think Dutton really supports females,” Ms Whait said. Picture: Tim Joy

“I don’t think Dutton really supports females, or really understands what it’s like, you know, from a female’s point of view,” she said.

“I don’t really appreciate when men tell us how we should do things and tell us what’s better or how we can work better.”

Fellow small business owner and working from home advocate, Heidi Wolff also said the flexible working model is beneficial.

“I don’t think you need a workspace to show your professionalism or be able to work effectively,” the photographer and educator said.

“I find I’m a lot more productive in a quiet space by myself than I am in a shared space where there’s lots of noise, people talking, distractions, all those things.”

As a female voter Ms Wolff said she will be keeping a close eye on Dutton and Albanese’s policies on child care, small business and “female related topics”.

Originally published as Why women are backing Anthony Albanese and turning on Peter Dutton over WFH vow