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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2025-02-06 Daily Xml
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Remote Working Arrangements

The Hon. B.R. HOOD (15:06): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking a question of the Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector regarding remote work arrangements.

Leave granted.

The Hon. B.R. HOOD: The State of the Sector 2024 Report highlights that 17,284 public sector employees were working remotely during 2024, with formalised remote work arrangements increasing from 10,966 in 2023 to 15,135 in 2024. In an Advertiser article in August 2024 a spokesperson for the Premier said 'the Premier has consistently made clear his expectation that public sector employees work from the office'.

Further, a response given by the minister yesterday to a question taken on notice stated that a whole-of-government email was issued in May 2022 by the Commissioner for Public Sector Employment requesting that all employees who had not resumed their pre-COVID working arrangements should do so as a priority.

My question to the Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector is: what action is the government taking to ensure that public servants are adhering to the Premier's expectations and the commissioner's directions in returning to the office?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector, Special Minister of State) (15:08): I thank the honourable member for his question. In relation to action that has been taken, the honourable member outlined some of the action that has been taken in relation to what the Premier said and also what the Commissioner for Public Sector Employment has given advice and guidance on. Of course, the Commissioner for Public Sector Employment regularly monitors the way government departments are performing, and I would expect, in terms of remote working, that there was an element of remote working for various reasons pre-COVID across a range of different areas.

Of course, for many, many people in the public sector any form of remote working is just not possible. For those face-to-face frontline service providers, who comprise a very great number of the South Australian public sector and who work exceptionally hard, particularly those who have interactions with members of the public, working from home or remote working is not an option whatsoever. However, I will be happy to pass on to the Commissioner for Public Sector Employment the question that was asked to make sure that there are follow up steps, not just that initial request but follow up steps, to give effect to making sure we are returning to the pre-COVID arrangements.

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