Queensland To Allow More Public Service Workers To Avoid CBD Offices Post-COVID

The Queensland government has announced plans to expand the use of its "distributed work centres" to allow more people in public service roles to work closer to home, following the impacts of COVID-19.

A distributed work centre is a designated office space in a location that is remote from an employee's primary office location. These centres were established in vacant or underused government office space.  

"Through the necessary restrictions put in place to halt the spread of COVID, many thousands of Queenslanders have spent months working from home," Treasurer Cameron Dick said.

"Working closer to home means more time spent with your family and less time commuting.

"In addition, the savings measures I am announcing today will prevent public service positions being reallocated into the Brisbane CBD from regional or outer urban areas." 

See also: COVID-19 contact tracing: The tricky balance between privacy and relief efforts (TechRepublic) 

There are currently four distributed work centres in Queensland, based at Ipswich, Logan, Robina, and Maroochydore. The distributed work centres, made in 2016, had previously been used by around 250 registered workers, a Queensland government spokesperson told ZDNet. 

With these new plans, the Queensland government will now expand that access to up to 1,500 workers to give them the chance to work in an office closer to their home. 

Minister for Housing and Public Works Mick de Brenni added that the distributed work centres provided an "ideal" solution to one of the many challenges posed by doing business in a post-COVID world.

"In the last few months, Queenslanders have done a great job in following the health advice, innovating and adapting in the way they work," de Brenni said.

"Because we've managed the health response so well, more workers are able to get back to a more conventional workplace.

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