PRIME MINISTER
MINISTER FOR BROADBAND, COMMUNICATIONS AND THE DIGITAL ECONOMY
MINISTER FOR EMPLOYMENT AND WORKPLACE RELATIONS
MINISTER FOR THE PUBLIC SERVICE AND INTEGRITY
LAUNCH OF NATIONAL TELEWORK WEEK
The Prime Minister today committed the Australian Public Service (APS) to achieving the goal of 12 per cent of APS employees regularly teleworking by 2020 at the launch of National Telework Week.
Telework, which is a big part of the future of work in Australia, is a flexible work arrangement where employees are able to work from home or other locations away from the office, using broadband and digital technology.
The APS commitment is in line with the Government’s National Digital Economy Strategy goal for telework.
To inform delivery of this goal, a select number of APS departments and agencies will conduct a series of telework trials commencing in the first half of next year.
The Prime Minister also released new research by Colmar Brunton and Deloitte Access Economics at the launch which found:
- 66% of people with disabilities who are not in the labour force would take up telework if it was available to them;
- 74% of people with family or carer responsibilities who are not in the labour force would take up telework if it was available to them;
- 60% of people nearing retirement age would take up telework if it was available to them; and
- 70% of people living in regional/remote Australia who are not in the labour force would take up telework if it was available to them.
The research also found that by 2020-21 these participation impacts of telework alone could:
- Help grow annual GDP by $3.2 billion; and
- Create the equivalent of an additional 25,000 full-time jobs, with 10,000 of these jobs in regional Australia.
Leading companies such as Cisco, Telstra, Westpac, Medibank Health Solutions, Microsoft and KPMG are already using telework to retain and attract skilled staff and make cost savings by reducing pressure on office accommodation.
The Government’s investment in the National Broadband Network will give more employees and employers the confidence to engage in telework by delivering reliable, affordable high-speed broadband to all Australian homes and businesses.
The NBN will help unlock the potential of telework to boost productivity in the workplace; reduce commuting time and urban congestion; and allow employers to compete for the best employees, no matter where they are located.
The inaugural National Telework Week runs from 12th to 16th November. More than 130 companies and organisations have committed to the Week as official Telework Partners.
More information on National Telework Week and for employers and employees on the benefits of telework including an interactive tool to assess the costs and savings from telework is available at www.telework.gov.au.
CANBERRA
12 NOVEMBER 2012
PRESS OFFICE (02) 6277 7744
MINISTER CONROY’S OFFICE: ADAM SIMS 0408 258 457
MINISTER SHORTEN’S OFFICE: SAM CASEY 0421 697 660
MINISTER GRAY’S OFFICE: JOHN ARTHUR 0408 991 261
