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The NSW Premier was hit with a comparison to US President Donald Trump during the State Parliament’s question time over his controversial “workplace presence policy”.
“Like Donald Trump, Chris Minns has this one totally wrong,” said Gareth Ward, member for Kiama, during the NSW Parliament’s question time on Tuesday (6 May) while criticising his “workplace presence policy” that has evoked anger among NSW public sector workers.
“The NSW Productivity Commission has found that remote and flexible working arrangements promote economic activity, aid employment retention, and improve standards of living.
“Working from home became a global experiment during COVID, and flexible working arrangements should be seen as an opportunity to improve state productivity.”
Minns introduced his policy to recall all NSW public sector workers back to the office in August 2024, spurring a raucous backlash from workers who had become accustomed to the benefits of flexible working arrangements.
Just last week, union-aligned Transport for NSW workers stood outside their office hub in Sydney’s CBD, protesting against Minns’ policy – claiming that the office hubs in which Minns wants workers to return to lack the required office capacity to accommodate the workforce.
Chants of “where’s my desk” echoed across the CBD as attendees marched across the busy Elizabeth Street, chanting in unison – expressing their grievances towards the controversial policy that feeds into the ongoing polarisation of workplace flexibility.
Despite first announcing his policy in 2024, Minns has already been thrust into some uncomfortable comparisons with previous return-to-office enthusiast Peter Dutton.
During the election campaign, Dutton championed moving all Australian public sector workers back into the office as one of his key policy proposals, which drew criticism from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, labelling it as “out of touch”.
With Minns and Albanese politically aligned, it made for an awkward situation of Minns simultaneously having to stand firm on his policy while distancing his from Dutton’s.
“We’re not changing our policy in relation to WFH, it was the right decision to make,” said Minns.
Minns was able to escape the comparisons when Peter Dutton was forced to walk back his proposed RTO mandate policy after receiving intense scrutiny. Since then, however, the comparison has seemingly levelled up from “Temu Trump” to the real Donald Trump.
The comparison arises as Trump also put an end to working from home for US public sector workers right when he assumed office at the beginning of 2025.
“Both workers and employers report benefits from remote working. Workers report that remote working reduces their commuting time, improves their sense of wellbeing, and allows them to work flexibly around their other commitments and activities,” Ward said.
“For employers, remote working opens access to wider labour pools, increases employee engagement, and reduces staff turnover. It also makes them more resilient to future shocks and stresses.”
“The Premier should listen to the evidence rather than applying American-style popularist policies here in NSW.”
Kace O'Neill
Kace O'Neill is a Graduate Journalist for HR Leader. Kace studied Media Communications and Maori studies at the University of Otago, he has a passion for sports and storytelling.
