Dutton insists public servants must return to the office, dismissing concerns over gender inequality
The Coalition has announced plans to force all federal public servants back to the office five days a week, arguing that work-from-home arrangements have led to inefficiencies. Opposition Leader Peter Dutton defended the policy, insisting it would not disadvantage women, despite warnings from unions and gender equality advocates.
The return-to-office demand is part of a broader industrial relations package the Coalition plans to take to the next election. It also includes a pledge to unwind Labor’s “right to disconnect” laws and review pay equity rules for agency-hire workers. Additionally, the opposition has hinted at cutting the public service workforce by around 36,000 positions.
Shadow Finance Minister Jane Hume criticised the current work-from-home culture, claiming public servants have shown a “lack of respect for the work that went into earning the taxes they spend.” She pointed to figures showing that 61 per cent of public servants had worked remotely at least part of the time last year, a higher rate than during the pandemic.
Finance Minister Katy Gallagher strongly opposed the proposal, warning it would disproportionately harm women. She argued that forcing people back into the office would make it harder for women to balance work and caregiving responsibilities.
Embed from Getty Images“They have now said work from home is going to be cancelled … they don’t have women’s interests at heart, they don’t see it as a central economic driver of growth,” Gallagher said. “Clearly, the opposition has no idea how modern working families operate.”
The gender pay gap remains a persistent issue in Australia, with women earning about 78 cents for every dollar men make. The Workplace Gender Equality Agency found that half of all employers still pay male workers roughly 12 per cent more than their female colleagues. Many argue that flexible work arrangements have helped narrow this gap by enabling more women to transition from part-time to full-time roles.
Dutton dismissed concerns that his policy would force women out of the workforce, suggesting that those unable to work in an office full-time could instead seek “job-sharing arrangements.” He insisted that the move was not discriminatory and that public servants must be held to account.
“It doesn’t discriminate against people on the basis of gender. It is for public servants. It doesn’t have an impact, and we are not going to shy away from the fact that this is taxpayer money,” Dutton said.
“I want to ensure we have an efficient public service.”
He also accused some government employees of exploiting work-from-home policies and pledged to crack down on those “refusing” to return to the office.
“Our desire is to get public servants who are, at the moment, refusing to go back to work … and that is not acceptable,” he said. “There will be a common-sense approach, as there always has been, but I am not going to tolerate a position where taxpayers are working harder than ever to pay their own bills and they’re seeing public servants in Canberra refuse to go to work.”
Commonwealth Public Sector Union boss Melissa Donnelly warned that the policy could drive women out of the public service altogether. She argued that flexible work arrangements had significantly increased female workforce participation.
“What we’ve seen across the federal public sector over the last couple of years, since COVID really, is an increase in the percentage of women who are working full-time,” Donnelly said. “This seems to be a policy the Opposition has come up with based on a few comments they’ve heard in Senate Estimates, in the Canberra bubble.”
Workplace Gender Equality Agency chief Mary Wooldridge also voiced concerns, arguing that flexibility remains crucial for parents and caregivers.
“Flexible working arrangements are quite broad—it includes working from home but also job-sharing, variable shift hours … but there is no doubt that enhanced flexible working arrangements improve workforce participation,” Wooldridge said.
As Australia heads towards a federal election, workplace flexibility is emerging as a major battleground issue. The Coalition is positioning itself as the party of traditional office work, while Labor argues that remote work is essential for modern workforce participation. With public servants and unions fiercely opposing the proposed changes, the debate over returning to the office is far from over.
