After polling, feedback and just the general vibe showed that forcing public servants back into the office wasn’t the winning policy the Coalition thought it was, the Coalition is now walking it back, by pretending that it never really existed.

I strongly support work from home,” Dutton told reporters in Darwin at the weekend. 

I’ve been very clear about that and our policy … doesn’t have any impact on the public sector outside of Canberra.”

This was Jane Hume in March:

“Using existing frameworks, it will be an expectation of a Dutton Liberal government that all members of the APS work from the office five days a week.

“Exceptions can and will be made, of course; but they will be made where they work for everyone rather than be enforced on teams by an individual.”

Just in case you thought that was a one off, there was an entire section labelled ‘Back to Work’ in the speech Hume gave to the Menzies Institute (just last month) which made it VERY clear it was all APS workers. She called it a “return to disciplines”.

One public servant told my office that one of their colleagues worked from home five days a week. They were frequently uncontactable and thus unreliable.

Why? Because while they were working, they were also traveling around Australia with their family in a campervan.

The challenges faced by Australia today are significant.

We have been in a per capita recession for seven consecutive quarters – the longest on record.

27,000 small businesses have closed – a record high.

We are in an era of significant geopolitical competition, facing significant security challenges. Yet we have become less cohesive and less safe since October 7 2023.

There are many talented, driven people in the Australian Public Service. And if elected, I want them to come back to the office with me to help solve these challenges.

Using existing frameworks, it will be an expectation of a Dutton Liberal Government that all members of the APS work from the office five days a week.

Exceptions can and will be made, of course; but they will be made where they work for everyone rather than be enforced on teams by an individual.

This is common sense policy that will instil a culture that focuses on the dignity of serving the public, a service that relies on the public to fund it, and a service that respects that funding by ensuring they are as productive as possible.

A public service that respects its resources and a Government that is disciplined in its fiscal management, we can deliver more effective and more efficient services for Australians.

Expecting more from Government is both reasonable and essential for a healthy democracy.

It doesn’t require a new department, or a tech billionaire. But it does require a change of government, a restoration of disciplines Labor has abandoned, and a back to basics approach.

Under a Dutton Liberal Government, Australians will know that the taxes they pay are being spent in Australia’s best interests.