Page 1522 - Week 06 - Thursday, 2 July 2020
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(2) congratulates businesses and workplaces across the Territory for shifting so quickly to new work arrangements, allowing many Canberrans to work from home;
(3) acknowledges those frontline and essential workers who were unable to work from home and recognises the important role these workers played in continuing to provide essential services to our community;
(4) notes the:
(a) ACT’s strong protections for the health and safety of working people and acknowledges the importance of these protections in the gradual return to the workplace; and
(b) nation leading efforts of the ACT Public Service in supporting its workforce to work from home and engage in flexible work arrangements; and
(5) calls on the:
(a) ACT Government to continue supporting flexible work arrangements for ACT Public Servants where it suits them and their directorates; and
(b) Chief Minister to write to the Australian Public Service Commissioner and ask that the Commonwealth Government supports flexible work arrangements for the Australian Public Service.
The famous artist Botticelli, who is most known for his work depicting the birth of Venus, created a painting entitled St Augustine in his Cell. One who happens upon it may find it curious how it replicates the modern office, with a desk, chair and storage shelves. According to the BBC, the origin of the modern office extends back centuries ago to organisations who created specific spaces for sedentary work such as studying and copying manuscripts.
I have touched briefly on this small historical anecdote because today we are discussing the very relevant topic of working arrangements, but with a view to moving away from the traditional “Botticellian” office space to a more modern, flexible working arrangement.
As we all know, the crisis of COVID-19 has single-handedly changed our lifestyle and working landscapes beyond recognition. It has tested assumptions like never before and caused significant chaos and disruption to our working procedures. However, by going through this process we have developed unique, new ways to work and succeed at our jobs and careers.
We have heard many discussions about changing working arrangements, and we have also seen several companies stating that all employees can work from home in the future if they choose to do so. Employment, and the nature of employment, is incredibly important to each individual in the ACT, which is why today I am moving a motion about how we approach and think about work going forward for public servants in the ACT.
While this pandemic has been life-changing and brutal for many in our community, it has also allowed us to test the notions of flexible working arrangements, work from
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