Australia's opposition dumps policy on return to office as election nears

FILE PHOTO: Liberal Party leader Peter Dutton listens during a visit to youth mental health foundation, Headspace, in Parramatta, Western Sydney, Australia, March 23, 2025. REUTERS/Hollie Adams/File Photo

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia's opposition Liberal Party abandoned on Monday a plan to force government workers to return to the office full-time, as incumbent Labor gained in polls ahead of a May 3 election.

Working from home emerged as an election battleground last month after the Liberal Party said it would bar hundreds of thousands of government employees from doing so, in a bid to boost productivity.