The government of Australia's most populous state ordered all public employees to work from their offices by default beginning Tuesday and urged stricter limits on remote work, after news outlets provoked a fraught debate about work-from-home habits established during the pandemic.
Chris Minns, the New South Wales Premier, said in a notice to agencies that jobs could be made flexible by means other than remote working, such as part-time positions and role sharing, and that 'building and replenishing public institutions' required 'being physically present.'
Chris F. Wright, an associate professor at the University of Sydney, noted that the Rupert Murdoch-owned Daily Telegraph in Sydney had been pushing the New South Wales government to mandate office work, citing economic benefits for businesses.
The union representing public servants expressed skepticism about the government's decision to revert to office work, highlighting a lack of evidence for the change and concerns about potential challenges in filling positions.
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