Working from home is now a familiar concept to most employees, having adapted to the conditions of multiple lockdowns.
But long before COVID began, on this day in 1992, the front page reported home-based working arrangements were being discussed for public servants.
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Negotiations had begun between the Public Sector Union and Department of Industrial Relations, which found both benefits and issues regarding working-from-home arrangements.
The issues were, according to a departmental newsletter, working time, work organisation, career advancement, workers' compensation issues, security of information and taxation.
One major concern was the extent of Commonwealth liability for workers injured from home while carrying out government work.
Another was whether documents could be secure enough in a home environment.
A spokesperson for the Public Service Union said while home-based work did seem attractive to many public servants, they would "ensure that such arrangements did not erode hard-won gains on wages and conditions".
