Ms ?ine Maher:

I echo Mr. Doheny's points on carbon reduction and the wider suite of public policy benefits.

I fully agree with the Senator that those aspects are very important. I also agree with her important point around remote hubs and other ways in which we can ensure workers have the ability to interact socially. Remote hubs are included in the overall remote working strategy from which the commitment to legislate in this area stemmed. As Mr. Doheny referenced, colleagues in the Department of Rural and Community Development are working with a range of stakeholders on how best to utilise our current infrastructure around remote hubs to see whether it can be enhanced.

On the Senator's wider point, I understand the witnesses from Grow Remote reflected on the mindset shift around remote and hybrid work and the different options and opportunities, including remote hubs, that are increasingly becoming available to workers. They referred to their mapping and data-gathering exercise that will provide information on where people who are currently working remotely are based. We are following that research closely.