Here we are as a nation in the throes of a terrible, surreal pandemic. Watching the news almost feels like a science fiction movie, as measures become more draconian almost daily to try to curb the spread.
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As many Canberrans relinquish the mundane normality of office life and move to work from home, there is at least one section of the workforce that doesn't appear to be moving as quickly as the rest.
There's no doubt the Australian Public Service will have a huge role to play during the coronavirus crisis and the subsequent recovery of the nation, but why are so many still working from offices where they could potentially be exposed to the deadly COVID-19?
Meanwhile, we watched our politicians at the start of the week social distancing themselves by at least 1.5 metres in the House of Representatives. Protecting themselves to protect the community, which other than staying home was the best possible thing they could do.
Earlier this week, The Canberra Times reported the Australian Public Service Commission has so far resisted calls to issue a work-from-home directive for the public service.
Unions and Labor are urging the agency overseeing the federal bureaucracy's workforce to issue a directive clarifying how and when public servants should work from home.
Their calls follow reports of anxiety among public servants about having to work from departmental and agency offices despite Prime Minister Scott Morrison encouraging people to avoid the coronavirus by working from home when possible.
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One bureaucrat told The Canberra Times that "everyone is very tense, anxious, and realising we are on the precipice of thousands of people dying".
"In two month's time it will be terrible to know that Canberrans died needlessly because the public service didn't encourage its staff to work from home where possible."
This is a crucial time for Australia, and particularly for the ACT. On Saturday, the ACT's acting chief health officer said there was still no evidence of community transmission of COVID-19.
While it was inevitable that the time would come when that was the case, right now we are only seeing cases appear from confirmed cases interstate, overseas arrivals and cruise ships and close contacts of those people.
While it is unavoidable for some public servants to work from home, there is no reason to keep those who could in the office.
If Professor Brian Schmidt can run the Australian National University from his home-office, surely public servants can work from home.
- For information on COVID-19, please go to the ACT Health website or the federal Health Department's website.
- You can also call the Coronavirus Health Information Line on 1800 020 080
- If you have serious symptoms, such as difficulty breathing, call Triple Zero (000)
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