Public servants shun calls to return to CBD, sparking calls for city to be repurposed

Experts are calling for the Allan government to shift train timetables and repurpose office spaces as public servants shun calls to return to the city for work, despite desperate pleas from cafe owners.

Public servants are shunning calls to return to the CBD for work, with new data showing the snails-pace rebound of city workers as experts push for Melbourne to be repurposed to reflect the “new normal.”

Experts are calling for the Allan government to shift train timetables and repurpose office spaces to cater to an increase in pedestrians now opting to spend time in the city on weekends or after hours – a far cry from the once bustling business hours.

Recent data from pedestrian sensors near Victorian public sector workplaces revealed lower levels of foot traffic than the rest of the city, suggesting fewer public servants were attending the office compared to other city workers.

Many public servants are shunning calls to return to work in the CBD. Picture: Ian Currie

In the first three weeks of May, the Lonsdale-Spring St sensor was down by almost 40 per cent compared to its pre-Covid period, while figures at the Collins Place sensor almost halved.

By comparison pedestrian activity in the rest of the city, which includes these two sensors, is down by 13.2 per cent compared to the same time – but up 3.6 per cent compared to last year.

The shift between October 2023 to May 2024 suggests fewer public servants are attending the office now compared to last year while the attendance of other city workers has risen.

Cr Roshena Campbell, who put forward the motion calling for the return of public servants in December, told the Herald Sun more needed to be done to encourage their return to the office.

“Pedestrian activity sensors strongly suggest while private sector employees are coming back to their city workplaces, public servants are continuing to stay at home,” Cr Campbell said.

“We have seen an appalling lack of leadership from the state government on this issue despite it being the city’s biggest employer.

“The City of Melbourne is the engine room of the Victorian economy and it is time for the Premier to step up to ensure its future prosperity.”

Many employees are choosing to work from home. Picture: Ian Currie

A new study also revealed Melbourne CBD was lagging behind the rest of the nation in its Covid recovery, with workers and weekday visitors at just 70 per cent of pre-pandemic levels – below Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth – two and a half years after lockdowns ended.

But the DSpark report, commissioned by Tourism and Transport Forum, found both weeknights and weekends were booming with visitors to the city.

Weekend visits were at 112 per cent of pre-Covid levels in April 2024, with evenings between 6pm to midnight proving most popular for visitors. Weeknights were at 81 per cent.

Tourism & Transport Forum CEO Margy Osmond said the data should be a clear sign to the state government of Melbourne’s transformation since pandemic days.

“Three years of doing the data now tells us that this is an established changed behaviour in terms of people coming back to the cities,” she said.

“Melbourne’s point of view, is that the visitations the city on weekends and after hours for non work purposes, has recovered at a faster pace than it puts it in the top couple in terms of its recovery for leisure activities,

Visitor numbers are booming on weeknights and weekends. Picture: Ian Currie

“Melbourne is somewhere you go to have a good time, or to meet your friends or see something fabulous or eat something fabulous.

“It means we really need to start thinking differently about public transport timetables if these are now embedded changes in behaviour.”

“Despite the very trenchant efforts of both governments and the corporate sector to get more people to come back to work in the CBD, the fact that we’ve been doing this for three years now, we’re still not seeing an appreciable significant improvement trend in Melbourne … I think it really does tell you that it’s unlikely to happen anytime soon.

Ms Osmond said that should mean transport officials revisited public transport timetables to ensure more availability for weekend commuters.

“ … because traditionally, in the past weekends, there have been different timetables for public transport, and quite often less availability.”

“Tourism is the answer.”

Cafe owners call on state government to entice workers back to city

Cafe owners along Spring St have warned more businesses will close if the state government doesn’t take further measures to entice workers and visitors to return to the city.

The Lonsdale-Spring St foot traffic sensor was down by almost 40 per cent in the first three weeks of May, and it hasn’t gone unnoticed.

Married couple Nupur Bakshi and Prateek Arora, who own Gillott Espresso near the Princess Theatre, said they have to work seven days a week because they can’t afford to hire more staff.

Nupur Bakshi and husband Prateek Arora work seven days a week because they can’t afford to hire more staff. Picture: Jason Edwards

Consequently, they have to leave their 15-month-old daughter at home with her grandfather in a bid to make ends meet.

“I’m the chef, I’m the barista, I’m doing all the accounts, I do everything on my own,” Ms Bakshi said.

The mother said Monday, Thursday and Friday are the quietest days, with winter weather and public holidays also deterring people from the city.

“Festivals, F1 racing and the theatre have helped us a lot. The corporate (staff) work from home when it’s cold, or a public holiday,” she said.

“On Spring St there are a lot of government offices, but the staff work from home and a lot of people travel for work.

“Covid is long gone, it’s time to go seven days a week in the office now. If the corporate staff don’t come, we’re going to shut our doors and there will be no coffee.”

Ceree Cafe owner Christopher wants the state government to bring back the travel voucher scheme. Picture: Jason Edwards

Christopher, who co-owns Ceree on the corner of La Trobe and Spring St, said the government needed to bring back the Victorian Travel Voucher Scheme to encourage visitors to return to the city.

“Sunday is the busiest day of the week, but it’s not enough to cover the rest of the week’s expenses. Coffee is down 50 per cent,” he said.

Christopher also said he had to make cuts to staff hours and order cheaper raw materials just to keep the business afloat.