Dutton's WFH backdown highlights the Coalition's policy flaws

The working from home issue is more complex than a simple on or off. What the Coalition's original announcement showed was a lack of understanding of how the public service operates, and how they could have achieved a similar result of reducing working from home to more manageable levels, but retaining its potential benefits, with a little more thought.

Clear principles should have been announced as to when working from home should apply, acknowledging there is some work that requires unbroken concentration and working from home is the best way to achieve this, and some staff are best able to function effectively under such conditions.

Further, working from home requires trust between immediate supervisors and staff. Only on-the-ground managers can make that assessment, so within some guidelines let the managers manage. If managers think it is not working and end working from home, ensure their decisions are supported and it does not become another industrial relations blackhole.

So, for the Dutton opposition where is there a clear outline of principles for a modern-day public sector workforce? Where is there an appreciation of what works in practice? Where is there their preparation of policy for government and where is their political wherewithal? And given the backdown, where is the strong leadership?