[20 July 2022]
The Property Council of Australia today welcomed the Prime Minister’s commonsense comments on work from home arrangements as infections from COVID-19 and flu continue to rise.
Property Council of Australia Chief Executive Ken Morrison said today’s remarks by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese rightly reinforced the importance of achieving balance between health and economic outcomes as the country deals with rising infections.
“There is no doubt this third wave is a concern, and we have always supported and followed the health advice of officials,” Mr Morrison said.
“The Prime Minister today was right to acknowledge how, following health advice, businesses have worked hard to protect their staff throughout the pandemic.
“It was pleasing to hear Mr Albanese acknowledge that a one-size-fits-all approach to working arrangements isn’t the answer and that individual businesses and their employees should set the arrangements which work for them.
“The assumption that sending people home to work comes at no cost is wrong. In fact many CBD businesses have suffered badly and we welcome the Prime Minister’s acknowledgement of that.
“The businesses that have felt the pain the most aren’t the office tenants or the building owners, it’s the small business owners at the bottom of those buildings – the retailers and restauranteurs who make our cities hum – who’ve been hit hardest.
“We agree with the Prime Minister that a balance can be struck between protecting the health of our population, while also restoring the health of our economy and cities,” he said.
