The Coalition wants public servants to work in the office full time.

The Coalition said it expects all public servants to “work from the office five days a week” if it wins the election, with some exceptions.

Shadow Finance Minister Jane Hume described the current work from home (WFH) arrangements for federal public service workers as “unsustainable”.

Public Service Minister Katy Gallagher defended the current hybrid work policy and accused the Coalition of having “no idea how modern working families operate”.

Public service

365,400 people work for a federal government agency, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. This includes the departments of finance, health, and education, as well as defence force personnel.

In recent weeks, the Opposition has vowed to cut “wasteful government spending,” including the number of people who work in the public service.

As a result, the future of the public service is shaping up as a key election issue.

WFH

The most recent Australian Public Service (APS) survey showed 61% of public servants worked away from the office at least “some of the time” in 2024.

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Coalition frontbencher Senator Jane Hume gave a speech on Monday night to Liberal-aligned think tank the Menzies Research Centre, where she outlined examples of WFH arrangements contributing to poorer work outcomes.

Senator Hume said the corporate offices of NAB, Commonwealth Bank, Coles, and Dell have mandated a return to the office post-COVID.

“It will be an expectation of a Dutton Liberal Government that all members of the APS work from the office five days a week,” Hume said.

She noted there would be “exceptions” on a case-by-case basis.

Speaking to media on Tuesday, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton said: “Australian taxpayers [expect] government employees to be working as hard as they are. People refusing to go back to work in Canberra is not acceptable.“

Reaction

Public Service Minister Katy Gallagher responded to Hume’s comments on Tuesday, saying: “If you listen to Senator Hume, people are going to be frog marched back into the office on day one.”

“The Opposition have no idea about how modern working families operate”.

Community and Public Sector Union secretary Melissa Donnelly said WFH can help “balance things like caring responsibilities for little kids and ageing parents.”