"Australia's Opposition Drops Plan to End Remote Work for Public Servants"

Australia’s Opposition Abandons Plans to End Remote Work, Slash Public Sector Jobs

Facing slipping poll numbers, Australia’s main opposition party has reversed its election promises to end remote work for public servants and cut tens of thousands of government jobs.

Liberal Party leader Peter Dutton admitted on Monday that the proposals were a “mistake,” marking a significant shift in the centre-right party’s campaign strategy.

Dutton Walks Back Remote Work Ban and Job Cuts Amid Election Pressure

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has walked back controversial proposals to end remote work for public servants and slash tens of thousands of government jobs, acknowledging the policy misstep as his party faces declining support ahead of the May 3 national election.

“I think it’s important that we say that and recognise it,” Dutton said in an interview with Channel Nine on Monday. “Our intention was to ensure that taxpayers’ money, earned through hard work, is being spent efficiently—particularly when it comes to public sector wages.”

The Liberal Party leader and former Queensland police officer had previously pledged to mandate a full-time return to offices for public servants and eliminate 41,000 positions from the public workforce.

However, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese cast doubt on Dutton’s reversal, suggesting it was politically motivated rather than a genuine change in outlook.

“Peter Dutton wants to undermine workers’ rights,” Albanese told reporters. “He doesn’t understand modern families or the vital roles both women and men play in managing them.”

Labor Gains Edge in Tight Race as Cost-of-Living Concerns Dominate Campaign

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s centre-left Labor Party has gained momentum over Peter Dutton’s Liberal-led Coalition, though the contest remains tightly contested.

According to the latest Newspoll released on Sunday, Labor holds a narrow 52–48 lead over the Coalition in a two-party preferred matchup—marking a one-point increase since the previous survey.

The election campaign has been largely driven by mounting cost-of-living pressures, with housing affordability emerging as a key issue for voters across the country.

While either Labor or the Coalition is expected to secure the largest share of the vote, recent polling suggests a strong possibility of a hung parliament, raising the prospect of a minority government.

Australia last experienced a hung parliament in 2010, when then-Prime Minister Julia Gillard formed a minority government with the backing of the Australian Greens and three independent MPs.