Get them all back to the office

Public servants should return to the city to help business, says Brian Wightman

TASMANIA holds a relatively enviable position. Through astute leadership, the state government combated the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, bringing it under control relatively swiftly.

Keeping the health of Tasmanians as top priority, our leaders moved quickly to curtail the impact of the North-West Coast outbreak.

We’ve kept our borders closed to the rest of the country and overseas, at significant cost for our tourism industry, but with clear public health dividends.

It’s now time to focus on the job of economic recovery and regaining the momentum built up before the pandemic.

The July CommSec State of the States showed we topped key economic rankings for the first time since 2009.

Tasmania was leading in four of the eight indicators: retail spending, equipment investment, unemployment (lowest), and dwelling starts.

We need to be cautious when discussing these numbers due to JobKeeper and JobSeeker payments, which are keeping businesses afloat and workers in jobs.

A vital piece of the recovery puzzle is getting our public sector workers back to work in offices in our central business districts. Our CBDs drive productivity and growth. They support a diverse ecosystem of small businesses and service providers. About 70 per cent of office space across Tasmania is used by the three levels of government and government business enterprises.

However, most of this office space remains vacant as many of our 25,000 state public servants continue to work from home except for frontline workers in health, education and emergency services, who don’t have that opportunity.

In future we may see a greater mix of working from the office and home to provide our workforce with more flexibility. But the office workplace will continue to be the hub of productivity, innovation, mentoring and organisational culture.

With the improved health situation, it’s time for the rest of our public servants to return to the office. In doing so, they’ll provide a much-needed economic stimulus to our CBD businesses as people resume their normal routines.

Going back to work in the office is economic stimulus without an additional state government spend.

Whether in Hobart or Launceston, Devonport or Burnie, increasing efficiency and supporting the private sector, particularly small to medium-sized business in CBDs, is crucial as we commence the recovery phase post-COVID-19.

Retail spending in CBD shops and cafes will increase, which will help businesses keep their staff and pay their rent and rates.

Seriously, if it’s safe to go to the shack or the pub or the restaurant or cafe or the gym, then surely it’s safe to go back to the office with the right health and safety precautions.

Some attitudes will need to change: the soldier-on mentality that sees people turn up to work with a cough and cold is an obvious example.

Unlike their interstate counterparts, most Tasmanian office workers don’t need to make long commutes on public transport. Nor do we have office precincts that accommodate thousands of people each day.

The current public health advice on working from home seems out of step with the rest of the community. There is abundant guidance on making government workplaces COVID-safe, and we’ve had plenty of time to prepare.

The public sector plays a big role in the Tasmanian economy. Getting our office workplaces up and running again will help bring the economy back to life.

PUBLIC SERVANTS WILL PROVIDE ECONOMIC STIMULUS TO OUR CBD BUSINESSES AS PEOPLE RESUME NORMAL ROUTINES