Home Australia The ‘WFH holiday’ is over: Peter Dutton’s Coalition issues ominous work from home threat for hundreds of thousands of Aussies

The ‘WFH holiday’ is over: Peter Dutton’s Coalition issues ominous work from home threat for hundreds of thousands of Aussies

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In one of his first acts after taking office, the new president of the United States, Donald Trump (pictured), signed an executive order requiring federal employees to return to the office, five days a week.

EXCLUSIVE

The Coalition plans to follow Donald Trump’s lead and end the “WFH holiday” for public servants if elected.

In one of his first acts after taking office, the returning US president signed an executive order requiring federal employees to return to the office, five days a week.

The Coalition has signaled that it also wants to see public servants back in the coalface and filling vast taxpayer-funded offices that are often empty.

“Australians should expect to maintain an efficient, world-class public service,” an opposition spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia.

‘Taxpayers don’t want to see inflated and excessive spending by bureaucrats doing busy work or not using the office space Australians pay for.

“The WFH vacation has to end.”

But the Coalition does not have the power to issue executive orders that a US president has and will face an uphill battle with unions if it tries to refill government offices.

Public servants currently enjoy some of the most generous and flexible conditions of all workers in Australia.

In one of his first acts after taking office, the new president of the United States, Donald Trump (pictured), signed an executive order requiring federal employees to return to the office, five days a week.

Despite rejection in the United States, the Coalition has given signs that it wants public servants to return to work. But if elected, Peter Dutton's party faces an uphill battle to return to government office (pictured: Opposition leader Peter Dutton).

Despite rejection in the United States, the Coalition has given signs that it wants public servants to return to work. But if elected, Peter Dutton’s party faces an uphill battle to return to government office (pictured: Opposition leader Peter Dutton).

The Australian Public Service Commission enterprise agreement, signed in late 2023 under Anthony Albanese’s Labor government, established unlimited home working days for Commonwealth employees.

The previous coalition government had tried to limit working from home and asked public servants to return to their offices.

But this was overturned by the Albanese Labor government, which was “beholden to the unions”, a Liberal source said.

‘The Labor government essentially gave civil servants a blank check to work from home.

‘Given that taxpayers are paying for these huge government buildings to remain empty, there is a real incentive for people to return to offices to increase productivity.

“More importantly, younger employees are being deprived of the opportunity to learn from their more senior colleagues.”

The work-from-home culture has also destroyed many local cafes and restaurants in Canberra, where a third of civil servants reside.

One restaurant owner said he would be forced to “leave” if the situation continued.

The Australian Public Service Commission enterprise agreement, signed in late 2023 under Anthony Albanese's Labor government, established unlimited work-from-home days for Commonwealth employees (pictured: FMH or WFB).

The Australian Public Service Commission enterprise agreement, signed in late 2023 under Anthony Albanese’s Labor government, established unlimited work-from-home days for Commonwealth employees (pictured: FMH or WFB).

‘It’s ridiculous. “In a normal week, we currently only have two full days of trading,” the owner told the Daily Telegraph.

And it’s random. It feels like they (bureaucrats) wake up in the morning and it’s raining, and they’ll just stay home. But I still have to come here and open up, hire staff.’

If the Coalition is to succeed in ending home working, it will have to undo the enterprise agreement that currently allows almost unrestricted home working for Commonwealth employees.

“The Commission will not impose limits on groups of employees on the time they can be approved to work from home or remotely,” the agreement states.

It later adds that “requests for flexible work arrangements should be considered on a case-by-case basis, with a bias toward approving requests.”

Any move to change this agreement would face strong resistance and likely a court challenge from the Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU).

Daily Mail Australia has approached the CPSU for comment.

The number of government employees has increased by 22,000 under Labor and there are now more than 365,000 people employed by the Commonwealth public service, according to recent data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (pictured: an empty Parliament House in Canberra).

The number of government employees has increased by 22,000 under the Labor Party and there are now more than 365,000 people employed by the Commonwealth public service, according to recent data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (pictured: an empty Parliament House in Canberra).

The existing arrangement has created a situation where it is common for only a handful of people to be present in an office designed to accommodate more than 40 people.

Senior officials from at least one major government department have even told external agencies not to schedule meetings in Canberra on Mondays and Fridays due to a lack of staff present, according to the Australian financial Rrevision.

The number of Commonwealth government employees has increased by 22,000 under the Labor government to now stand at more than 365,000, according to recent data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

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