Assistant Minister for the Public Service Patrick Gorman has told the APS that flexible working arrangements are working. Photo: Patrick Gorman Facebook.
The Federal Government is boosting Australian Public Service employees’ confidence that their work-from-home rights will remain intact following the upcoming federal election.
The Coalition had vowed to force public servants into the office five days a week if it wins back power, although Peter Dutton has since softened his commentary around the policy.
The Opposition Leader now says he wants a return to pre-COVID levels of work-from-home arrangements for the APS, which sat around 22 per cent.
He has also promised to sack 36,000 public servants if he is elected prime minister.
Currently, 61 per cent of APS employees work away from the office at least part of each week, with many working remotely full-time.
Work-from-home rights were negotiated between the Federal Government as the Community and Public Sector Union in the last round of enterprise bargaining.
Since the issue of forcing public servants back to the office full-time was first raised early in March by shadow finance minister Jane Hume, both Labor and the CPSU have moved to assure the sector that their enterprise agreement is binding, and it’s working.
Of course, Labor hopes to be reelected, which would render the Coalition policy irrelevant.
However, with the possibility of a minority Coalition government looming, public servants have become increasingly nervous about the security of their jobs and their working conditions.
During a speech delivered virtually to the APS at the State of the Service Roadshow this week, Assistant Minister for the Public Service Patrick Gorman talked about the effectiveness of flexible working arrangements.
“The State of the Service report highlights where the APS is making real improvements for employees. Better conditions, more flexibility and a stronger focus on workplace culture,” Mr Gorman said.
“The changes through APS Reform are making that even stronger. The APS Employee Value Proposition captures what you value most about being a public servant.
“Purpose, growth, community and belonging. Helping attract, retain and develop the workforce needed in a competitive labour market.”
The Assistant Minister said that with the workplace bargaining completed, staff have reported increased fulfilment at work and even improved productivity.
“Service-wide bargaining concluded in March 2024 and has reduced the fragmentation of pay and conditions,” he said.
“It resulted in 59 common conditions, wage increases over three years, and substantial improvements to parental leave entitlements and flexible working arrangements.
“The 2024 APS Employee Census shows employee engagement is at its highest recorded level – 91 per cent of you said you are happy to go the extra mile at work when required; 93 per cent of you understand how your role contributes to achieving an outcome for the Australian public.
“Employee programs and guidance have been updated to help prevent and respond to workplace sexual harassment, sex discrimination, victimisation, and related unlawful behaviours.”
And he outlined where APS employees are based, noting that they are spread much further than Canberra.
Flexible working arrangements are also helping to attract more staff and allow the APS to better compete with the private sector when recruiting.
“This year’s State of the Service report also tells us that 88 per cent of APS agencies are reporting critical skills shortages,” Mr Gorman said.
“These shortages include areas like digital and data, project management, people management and legal skills.
“One way agencies are addressing these gaps is through the APS Location Framework, released in October 2024, to help agencies address how they employ staff in more locations…
“The State of the Service Report tells us that as of July 2024, 185,343 of you were working across the APS.
“You can be found in 583 locations across Australia. From Broome to Bendigo, from Penrith to my hometown of Perth. Much of this growth has been in frontline service delivery.
“In fact, an extra 7,703 staff are now in agencies like Services Australia, the Department of Veterans’ Affairs and the National Disability Insurance Agency. Across Australia, public servants are in service delivery roles, making up a key part of the workforce.
“More staff have been added in key areas like Defence, Health and Home Affairs.
“We have seen a shift towards more permanent roles. Over the past year, reliance on contractors and labour hire has decreased. We have seen a 12.7 per cent increase in permanent employees.
“At the same time, we have seen a 20.5 per cent drop in non-ongoing staff. These changes reflect the APS’s focus on delivering services and building a capable public service.”
Discussion following the speech went to the legal status of flexible working arrangements built into the EA and how difficult it would be for any government to unwind them.
Original Article published by Chris Johnson on Riotact.
