It comes as the state government announced on Thursday it would be lifting its work from home recommendation.Deputy opposition leader David Southwick on Friday said the city can’t be run “on a part time basis”.“Lifting the restrictions of working from home is one thing,” Mr Southwick said. “What we need now is some incentive, some encouragement, to actually get people back.“We’ve had Victorians working from home and locked down for a very long time – habits have formed. To change those habits, you actually need to encourage people to show what it was once like to actually work back in the office and that’s what we’re calling on the government to do today.”Victorian office workers would be able to commute to and from the city for free, whether it be on trains, trams or buses, as long as it’s on a Monday or Friday during September.Mr Southwick said the only way to reinstate Melbourne’s status as the most liveable city in the world was to ensure the city is thriving seven days a week.HUN: Free public transport plan“We know that, on Mondays and Fridays, we have as low as one in five people that are actually in the city or in the workplace, and you can’t run a city on a part time basis. They can’t run it when it is a ghost town on Monday and Friday,” he said.“What we’re suggesting here are some proactive ideas to get workers back and there may be other ideas as well – lunch vouchers, a whole range of things, should be on the table.”Mr Southwick also slammed the government for having “double standards” when it came to working from home advice surrounding public sector workers.“Daniel Andrews has shown no leadership when it comes to his own workforce, and he’s expecting the private sector to do the heavy lifting,” he said.“There’s no question that Victoria is way behind every other state. The government has just been so indecisive when it comes to providing advice to Victorians to get them back to the office.”Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive Paul Guerra welcomed the proposed initiative, calling on more ideas to encourage a return to offices across the state – not just in the city. “The Victorian Chamber has previously advocated for free or discounted public transport into the city to increase public confidence in the network and entice people back into the city,” Mr Guerra said.“Any ideas to stimulate office return are welcomed, and while the CBD is important, we also need to be encouraging easy return to offices across Victoria.“Making it easier and cheaper to travel will not only encourage more people to go into offices to work but also accelerate the revival of the entire state.” WFH recommendation liftedVictorian workers have been given the green light to get back to their desks.The state government has finally responded to the pleas of long-suffering traders to re-energise the CBD, lifting its work from home recommendation.It comes days the Herald Sun’s Spring Into Action campaign urged the government to lift the shackles off the city, with disease experts saying it was time to put “unwarranted fears” about the virus to rest.However, the state’s pandemic declaration order will stay in place until October 12.The lifting of the working from home recommendation has sparked hope of a daytime CBD recovery, with tens of thousands of public servants and private sector employees free to return to work.Melbourne’s return-to-office rate has lagged well behind other capital cities. Latest figures from the Property Council of Australia showed office occupancy levels in July at just 38 per cent, an 11-point drop on June’s 49 per cent average.As Covid cases soared in July, the state government issued advice recommending workers stay home if possible.Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas said the move to scrap the recommendation was in line with health advice.“With spring now here and case numbers and hospitalisations declining significantly, more people may want to get back into the office – and back out to the cafes, shops and bars,” she said. “We encourage employers and employees to have a conversation about what’s right for their individual needs.”Ms Thomas said a significant reduction in case numbers, down from a peak of 71,428 in July, meant it was safe to drop the recommendation.She said employers and staff may still consider remote working arrangements where appropriate.The Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry welcomed the move, and encouraged people to safely return to the office.“This is a positive step that paves the way for Victorians to safely return to the office now winter is over and the Covid-19 peak has passed,” chief executive Paul Guerra said.“It will also provide a welcome boost for Melbourne’s CBD and regional cities as we head into spring. This will give Victorians the confidence to embrace both business and social opportunities again.“We strongly encourage businesses to have the conversation with their staff and make appropriate arrangements.”Lord Mayor Sally Capp said it was “great news”. “The shackles are off,” she said.“There are regularly more people in the city on weekends than before the pandemic, and now we expect to see a new weekday rhythm emerge.”Small Business Australia executive director Bill Lang said it was vital public servants were forced back to offices.“At last a step in the right direction to resuscitate the City of Melbourne’s small business community,” he said.“However, one breath through mouth-to-mouth resuscitation does not lead to full recovery from a cardiac arrest.“Let’s get all the government workers back in their office, particularly on Mondays and Fridays, because there are significant benefits for them and their colleagues and the productivity and quality of the service they provide.”Infectious diseases physician and microbiologist Paul Griffin said the move was a “very reasonable” step forward. “It is clear that we’re in a much better position than we were even a few weeks ago,” Dr Griffin said. “As we appropriately relax all these restrictions we do need people to understand personal responsibility is still going to be a big part of this.”Liberal Party deputy David Southwick said more work was needed for the CBD to recover. “The future of work has changed and Victoria now needs real solutions to return confidence and vibrancy across our state,” he said. “For our CBD and small business to recover, workers need to be given a reason to return to work.”
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