Coalition government to scrap work from home for public servants

A Coalition government would scrap work from home conditions for public servants, with opposition spokeswoman Jane Hume saying the “unsustainable” practice has slashed productivity.

A Coalition government would order the return of all public servants to the office five days a week, accusing Labor of having signed off on a “blank cheque” for work-from-home arrangements, opposition public service spokeswoman Jane Hume says.

She said research showed working from home had reduced productivity, warning the status quo was “unsustainable”.

“This government has given public servants a blank cheque to work from home,” she said in a Liberal-aligned Menzies Research Centre on Monday.

“Led by the Community and Public Sector Union, Labor has made work from home a right for the individual, not an arrangement that works for all.”

The Australian revealed earlier this year that more than one in four Home Affairs public servants just one or two days a week. That rate was 22 per cent in Services Australia and 20.3 per cent in the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations.

Opposition public service spokeswoman Jane Hume said the practice has become unsustainable. Picture: Martin Ollman

“Using existing frameworks, it will be an expectation of a Dutton Liberal government that all members of the APS work from the office five days a week,” Senator Hume said.

“Exceptions can and will be made, of course; but they will be made where they work for everyone rather than be enforced on teams by an individual.

“This is common sense policy that will instil a culture that focuses on the dignity of serving the public, a service that relies on the public to fund it, and a service that respects that funding by ensuring they are as productive as possible.

“A public service that respects its resources and a government that is disciplined in its fiscal management, we can deliver more effective and more efficient services for Australians.

“Expecting more from government is both reasonable and essential for a healthy democracy.”

Senator Hume referred to mogul Elon Musk’s department of government efficiency in the US and seemed to suggest that was not the correct approach to streamline the public service.

“It doesn’t require a new department, or a tech billionaire,” Senator Hume said.

“But it does require a change of government, a restoration of disciplines Labor has abandoned, and a back to basics approach.”

Originally published as Coalition government to scrap work from home for public servants