Labor Minister Asks to ‘Silence’ Liberal Senator’s Microphone During Work From Home Debate

Minister O‘Neil asked media to silence Hume during a fiery discussion in which Hume said ’it’s not our policy' to send public servants back to the office.

Australian Housing Minister Clare O’Neil speaks during House of Representatives Question Time at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, on Feb. 11, 2025. AAP Image/Lukas Coch

Housing Minister Clare O'Neil requested that a TV presenter “silence the microphone” of Shadow Finance Minister Jane Hume during a debate over work from home policy and support for women.

During the exchange, Senator Hume repeatedly said that forcing public servants back to the office was not the Coalition’s policy.

The Coalition originally proposed that public servants would go back to the office five days a week if they won office, but backtracked on this plan following backlash.

Many federal public servants live in Labor-held seats in Canberra, while others are based out of offices or at home in other states.

During an interview with Sunrise, Hume was asked whether pushing people back to the office could have contributed to a drop in support for the Coalition among women.

“Asking public servants to return back to the office in the same proportions as the private sector was the policy that we had. We’ve since decided that was a mistake,” she said.

Hume accused Labor of “slinging mud” at Coalition Leader Peter Dutton and running a multi-million dollar campaign against him.

“They’ve done it on every level. They’ve tried to sling mud on the basis of his appearance, his record as a police officer, his record as a very successful small businessperson and when you spend millions of dollars slinging mud, sometimes that sticks,” Hume said.

In response, O'Neil accused Hume of making a “whole bunch of excuses” and said the Coalition’s stance on work from home was a “terrible doozy.”

“It just demonstrated that there’s just a lack of understanding about what goes on in the lives of Australian women there. I mean, working from home has become integral to ... many families in my community,” O'Neil said.

Hume repeated multiple times, “it’s not our policy” and asked O‘Neil to move on to the next topic, while O’Neil asked not to be interrupted while speaking.

“Jane, you are being so incredibly rude. Jane, please be quiet so I can say something ... I listened to you politely, can you please extend to me that courtesy,” O'Neil said.

Finally, O'Neil asked the television host, “Can you silence her microphone, please?”

Election Issue

This comes after Dutton apologised for a policy to end work from home for public servants.

“We’ve made a mistake in relation to the policy. We apologise for that. And we’ve dealt with it,” he told the Nine Network on April 7. 

The Coalition changed its position after it received significant public criticism.

This came after Dutton had told reporters in Queensland in March, “I won’t tolerate a position where taxpayers are working harder than ever to pay the bills and they’re seeing public servants in Canberra refuse to go to work. That will not happen under a government I lead.”

Shadow Minister for Finance Jane Hume first flagged the idea in a speech at Menzies Research Institute on March 3.

“Using existing frameworks, it will be an expectation of a Dutton Liberal government that all members of the APS [Australian Public Service] work from the office five days a week,” Hume said at the time.

“Exceptions can and will be made, of course, but they will be made where they work for everyone rather than be enforced on teams by an individual.

“While work from home arrangements can work, in the case of the APS, it has become a right that is creating inefficiency.”

Public Service Minister Katy Gallagher said in a statement on April 22 that a reelected Albanese Labor government will, “Protect the right to work from home to make sure modern families can balance work and family.”

In the United States, President Donald Trump terminated remote work arrangements for public servants on Jan. 20, with exemptions as deemed necessary.