Major Shift: Australia’s Conservatives Abandon Plans to Restrict Remote Work for Public Servants

Australia’s Conservative Party Changes Course

Australia’s opposition party has made a surprising decision by withdrawing its election promises aimed at preventing public servants from working from home. This move comes alongside a promise to cut more than 20% of federal public sector jobs.

Opposition leader Peter Dutton announced that the Liberal Party will no longer require public servants to work in their offices five days a week, except in exceptional circumstances. He acknowledged, “I think we made a mistake in relation to this policy.” Dutton emphasized the need for efficient spending of taxpayer money, which influenced this policy reversal.

Job Cuts and Employment Strategy

In addition to the work-from-home policy, the opposition has also retracted a pledge that included forced redundancy payments to eliminate 41,000 jobs from the 185,000 positions within the Australian Public Service. Instead, Dutton stated that job reductions would now occur through natural attrition and an employment freeze.

Political Reactions

These announcements mark a significant shift in policy just ahead of the May 3 election called by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. Albanese urged voters to remain skeptical of Dutton's newfound stance on flexible work arrangements, insisting, “He’s now pretending that that program won’t proceed.”

Members of the Labor Party have accused the conservatives of echoing the policies of U.S. President Donald Trump and his advisor Elon Musk, who have advocated for downsizing government operations.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers remarked, “This is DOGE-y Dutton taking his cues and policies straight from the U.S.” The government has argued that the opposition’s earlier policy would disproportionately affect women, who typically have greater childcare responsibilities.