Peter Dutton backflips on WFH coverage as Opposition chief scrambles to win again voters
Peter Dutton has caved in to pressure to ditch his work from home policy after the policy to force public servants to the office five days a week received backlash.
The Coalition Leader had previously insisted his party’s policy which would require about 80 per cent of Commonwealth employees to attend the office in Canberra full-time would boost productivity.
However, just days after announcing the policy, the opposition party has backflipped on its working from home stance.
Coalition public service spokeswoman Jane Hume on Monday said there would be ‘no change’ to flexible working arrangements under a Dutton government.
‘We have listened, and understand that flexible work, including working from home, is part of getting the best out of any workforce,’ Senator Hume said.
Senator Hume added there would be no ‘mandated minimum number of days for public servants to work in the office’.
Mr Dutton was asked whether he would reconsider the policy during hsi election campaign in Darwin on Saturday.
The Opposition leader claimed the federal government was merely trying to ‘scare’ voters with an attack on the policy and stressed he was ‘very happy for flexibility’.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has backflipped on the Coalition party’s working from home policy
‘I strongly support work from home. I’ve been very clear about that,’ Mr Dutton said.
‘Our policy doesn’t have any impact on the private sector, doesn’t have any impact on the public sector outside of Canberra.
‘The Prime Minister is out there lying to Australian women, telling them somehow this work from home policy which for our policy affects people who are working for the public service Canberra-based.’
Mr Dutton said the policy was to ensure ‘taxpayers’ money being used on wages for public servants was getting the ‘most efficiency’.
‘I’ve said very clearly that where you’ve got existing arrangements, which happens in Canberra now in the public service… that are there that allow for work from home arrangements, we are not proposing to change those,’ Mr Dutton said.
‘There is still flexibility in the workplace, in Canberra, in the public service.’
The reversal appears to be an effort to win back female voters after the policy proved unpopular among women who want work flexibility in their public service roles.
A Redbridge poll released last week, which surveyed 1,006 voters between March 8 and April 1, found Labor sat on 52 per cent to 48 in the two-part preferred vote over the Coalition – up one point on the previous month.
The poll found Mr Dutton was struggling to secure voters, particularly Australian females, due to the Coalition’s working from home policy.
The policy had a negative favourability rating among Australians of -5, while among female voters it had an unfavourability of -16.
It comes after Labor released analysis revealed working from home arrangements had boosted women in the full-time workforce.
Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed women in the full-time workforce increased from 54 per cent to 58 per cent as work-from-home since Covid-19.
Labor’s analysis warned women who are forced to drop down to three days a week in order to meet office requirements would lose as much as $740 a week.
