New election battleground is working from home

A plan by Australia’s opposition to force government workers back to the office full time could affect millions, a trade union grouping said yesterday, with the issue featuring in a nationwide election due within months.

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This month the Liberal party said if elected, it would bar hundreds of thousands of government employees from working from home, except for exceptional circumstances.

But the resulting increased traffic congestion would have a knock-on effect on millions more workers, said the Australian Council of Trade Unions, whose 38 members together represent almost 2 million workers.