Two-thirds of voters want the right to work from home protected
Union leaders put up the idea of a four-day work week before Treasurer Jim Chalmers' economic reform summit this week, and Victorian Labor Premier Jacinta Allan rekindled debate by pledging to give workers the guaranteed ability to work two days a week from home.
On the eve of the roundtable, Productivity Commission chair Danielle Wood dismissed the need for government intervention in flexible work, suggesting bosses and workers were finding a 'sweet spot' on hybrid work.
But the Resolve Political Monitor showed widespread support for both ideas.
Sixty-four per cent said they backed the idea of using legislation to lock in flexible work arrangements. Nineteen per cent were unsure when asked about the proposal, while 17 per cent were opposed.
Of Labor voters, 74 per cent backed the idea, as did 51 per cent of Coalition voters, a reminder of why former opposition leader Peter Dutton was forced to ditch his pre-election push to force public servants back into the office.
The Coalition proposal was pounced on by Labor, which used Dutton's public sector policy to stoke fears that private sector workers would also be ordered back to the office full-time.
Allan's pitch to legislate the right to two days working from home was built on the successful political campaign against Dutton's plan. The Resolve survey showed 89 per cent of those who currently work from home supported Allan's idea. Just under two-thirds of those who never worked from home also backed it.
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