Coalition's Work-From-Home Ban Hits Women, Carers, Economy

The Coalition's announcement that public servants would be banned from working from home under a Dutton government is anti-women and would make the public sector workforce less productive according to Greens spokesperson for Employment and the Public Service, Barbara Pocock.

As stated by Senator Barbara Pocock:

"This policy would wind back productivity gains and labour supply in the public service and undermine decades of progress on economic equality for women.

"Let's face it, most of the caring responsibilities for families still falls on women which means that women need access to flexible work arrangements including working from home in order to participate in the workforce.

"A large body of evidence tells us that cutting flexibility will cut workforce supply. At a time when the labour market is tight, this goes the wrong way. It's bad economic policy and it punishes women and carers.

"Australians care deeply about gender equality and no amount of tub-thumping from Dutton, Trump and Elon Musk is going to change that. What they are advocating is a return to the 1950's where the public service was run by stale, grey-suited men and women were confined to secretarial roles.

"Clearly, Dutton doesn't understand the 21^st Century workplace or the aspirations of Australian workers. The Senate inquiry into work and care, which I chaired, heard evidence that the majority of employers value their policies and practices to support employees with caring responsibilities.

"This approach is being led in the private sector and if the Coalition think they can force change in workplace policies through mandating a back to the office regime in the public service they will be risking all of the workplace equality gains of the past two decades.

"Australian workers don't want that, and Australian employers don't want it either. This is just another clueless knee-jerk, Trumpian response from the Coalition that will drive women and those with caring responsibilities to reduce their participation in paid work and force them back into insecure low-paid jobs."