Australians to Work Less Under New Labor Policy

Queensland workers at places like Brisbane City Hall (pictured) could work a four-day week under a Labor government. (Image: Wikicommons).

Australians in the state of Queensland are likely to be working less, if Labor are successful in winning government at the next state election. A proposed four-day working week is now expected to be adopted as official party policy.

The four-day week has been floated for many years, but in recent times the reform has been pushed by the Australian Council for Trade Unions (ACTU) to the point where the Queensland Labor Party is set to endorse the four-day working week, without a reduction in pay, at the party’s next conference on 29-30 August.

The adoption of the four-day week, which is strongly supported by the left faction of the Queensland branch of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) would put pressure on the state Labor leader to push the reform as part of the 2028 election campaign.

This would have a direct bearing on political discussions nation-wide.

Under the current proposal, the four-day working week would be introduced in a trial capacity in sections of the public service, before being expanded through partnerships with Queensland Government contractors and other businesses.

A common thread in the backing of such a reform is that Queenslanders, and Australians in-general, are working harder and producing more than ever before.

The member for Maiwar in the inner-west seat of Brisbane, Michael Berkman (Australian Greens Party), said in Queensland Parliament in 2019: “We are producing twice as much as we did in 1986,” in reference to the time when Australians won the reform of the 38-hour week.

In his speech, Berkman also claims that after Australians won the 38-hour week: “That number has not moved since then.”

Since the member for Maiwar made that speech, current Australian Public Service jobs often advertise required weekly hours under 38-hours.

While the ministers claim of greater production may well be true by reference to numbers, it is also true that the increase in production numbers has also come about by the advancement in technology, education and the use of resources, which in many cases has led to work becoming less demanding in modern times.

The cost of living as a pressure on workers, and as a way of reducing burnout, is probably a more relevant point to the average Australian. The need for people to work overtime, or in a second job, in order to meet the rent, or buy groceries and pay bills, is a genuine threat to individuals and families.

How practical is the ACTU’s policy proposal, and how would it benefit Queenslanders, and then, other Australians? Is a national four-day working week the ultimate aim of unions and Labor?

Votes, are the first thing that comes to mind. A four-day week without a pay loss would be hard to knock back, it would certainly attract votes. But, what could be the real ramifications, long-term? Once in place, how would an opposition party ever be able to pull-back from the four-day week, regardless if it was in the best interest of the nation? It would be here to stay.

An extra day off could prevent “burnout”, as the General Secretary of the Queensland Council of Unions, Jacqueline King, said.

The general secretary harked back to 2019 and the theme of Berkman's comments, when she said: "It had been more than 30-years since the last major change to the structure of work in Australia..."

King’s comments about burnout could certainly relate to a family setting, where one-on-one time is scarce, but her claim is also broad, and probably an intentional sound-bite to grab the attention of the wider audience.

In relation to family-time, and the scarcity of it, social expectations, or the perception of what is “expected” has also contributed to the stress of the workday. Go to any neighbourhood in Australia, and you will see the mad post-school/work scramble for sporting and other activities. There is no doubting that sport and other curricula activities are good, but have they, in terms of how many are committed to, exceeded the benefit to added-stress ratio in a day.

Furthermore, an extra day off, even with the same pay, could provide more financial strain. On weekends people tend to spend more. Movies, a day at the markets, takeout meal(s), and even a visit to a hardware store stretch the budget. Another day off could extend such spending.

It is interesting to note that the four-day work week trials would be conducted within public service roles; their six figure salaries (at worst, just below) would be far more likely to handle the extra day off, than say a full-time retail worker.

It is of note that government jobs in Australia increased by 3.3% from 2024 to 2025.

People may argue that not much gets done a Friday, whether that’s the public or private sector, so the extra day off would not amount to much. A few morning meetings, followed by a long-lunch and an early knock off could describe a lot of Friday schedules.

For many in the trades, the slow day was Saturday morning work, but that is a too distant chapter to be relevant to many Australians, or a government creating a narrative.