Come back to work call to public servants

NSW public servants who fled the CBD almost six months ago as COVID-19 swept across Sydney are being urged to return to office in a bid to ‘fire up the economy’.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Treasurer Dominic Perrottet are encouraging public service workers to return to the CBD. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Flavio Brancaleone

NSW public servants who fled the CBD almost six months ago as COVID-19 swept across Sydney are being urged to return to the office in a bid to “fire up the economy” after the state recorded its ninth consecutive day of zero locally acquired coronavirus cases.

The turning point for the country’s most populous state suggests unencumbered travel between NSW and Queensland is a step closer, with NSW now a third of the way to meeting Annas­tacia Palaszczuk’s threshold of 28 days with no community transmission.

The milestone bolsters the case for a trans-Tasman bubble by Christmas, with Victoria the only Australian state or territory still recording locally acquired coronavirus cases.

Queensland last recorded a locally acquired case on September 15, while in South Australia and Western Australia community spread was last detected in early April.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Treasurer Dominic Perrottet said on Sunday public servants should begin returning to work in a “COVIDSafe way” to help “stimulate city-based businesses” crushed by the exodus of white-collar customers.

“The health and safety of the people of NSW has always been our No 1 priority; however, we are also focused on firing up the economy,” Ms Berejiklian said.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian says a Covid-safe return will help stimulate the economy. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Flavio Brancaleone

“We are now encouraging public servants to physically return to work in their offices in a COVIDSafe way, which will help stimulate city-based businesses and create more jobs across the state.

“The government will continue to review health advice and aim to ensure we keep people safe and at the same time allow them to return to their normal lives as much as possible.”

Almost 13,000 public servants work in the Sydney CBD and their return to the office over coming weeks would help revive the state’s economy.

Mr Perrottet said flexible working arrangements, such as staggered start and finish times, would be key to the state’s return-to-work plan, and public servants would still be allowed to work from home if “reasonably practicable”.

“This is an important step, and as workers return safely to the city, it will help boost confidence and support businesses who have suffered over the past six months,” he said.

The one person per 4sq m rule has also voluntarily been adopted by the state government to ­manage office space for public servants.