Liberal backbencher Jane Hume has reignited the debate over public service working arrangements, defending the Coalition's controversial policy that sought to force Canberra-based bureaucrats back to offices full-time.
Policy Defence Amid Ongoing Criticism
Senator Hume, speaking on the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age's Inside Politics podcast, claimed the policy was "badly misrepresented" during the election campaign and merely needed better explanation. The comments come months after Opposition Leader Peter Dutton performed a spectacular backflip on the policy in April, admitting "We got it wrong, we've apologised for it."
Revisiting arguments that proved politically damaging during the May federal election, Hume specifically targeted Canberra public servants, stating that 60 per cent were working from home and "making it really difficult to get stuff done." She claimed this affected everything from graduate programs and mentoring to meetings with stakeholders.
Confrontational Examples and Labor Response
Senator Hume provided vivid examples of the challenges faced, describing scenarios where teams would fly from Melbourne to Canberra only to "walk into a department and be met with a screen with everybody coming up on the screen." She maintained the policy was designed to address these specific issues.
Finance and Public Service Minister Katy Gallagher delivered a sharp rebuke, stating Hume's comments "confirm again the Liberal Party's disregard for hard-working public servants." Gallagher argued the Coalition "haven't learnt the lessons of the May election" and should be making amends for targeted attacks on public servants.
Policy Details and Broader Context
According to the most recent data, there were 185,343 APS employees in June 2024, with only 68,435 (37 per cent) based in Canberra. While approximately 60 per cent of federal public servants work from home some of the time, most maintain a hybrid arrangement, spending part of their week in the office.
Senator Hume acknowledged the policy suffered from "bad messaging, bad timing" and suggested it shouldn't have been released during an election campaign. She also pointed to what she called a "flat-footed comment" from Peter Dutton, who had suggested women could always job share as an alternative to flexible arrangements.
Despite the policy's failure, Hume stopped short of blaming it for the election loss, stating "if you want to say 'Is that the reason why we lost the election?' No." She accused Labor of running a "giant scare campaign" that wrongly suggested private sector employees would be targeted, insisting the policy "was never intended to apply" beyond the public service.
The debate continues as public servants navigate post-pandemic working arrangements, with existing rules requiring employees to seek permission for working from home while mandating that agencies genuinely consider such requests.
