Australian MP Fiona Patten has called for a public sector trial of the 4-day week in Australia:
Reason Party leader Fiona Patten… said the test would examine if it increases productivity and worker satisfaction, and if successful, could potentially be rolled out across the private sector.
If implemented, the trial would not affect salaries.
“We’ve certainly seen these trials in other jurisdictions and we’ve seen private companies do it,” Ms Patten told 3AW.
“Iceland, Spain, New Zealand, those countries are now looking at implementing it across the board.
“We’re suggesting let’s trial it in one department and see what the impact is.”
This is an issue she’s talked about for a little while now, having given a speech in favor of the 4-day week in 2020.
This might not go anywhere yet, as the Reason Party is pretty small. (According to her Web site, Patten first confounded the Australian Sex Party in 2009, then in 2017 rebranded the “Reason Party, a movement of common sense, where adults are treated as adults, and children as children.”) However, given the right circumstances, even small parties can successfully implement shorter workweek trials— just look at Spain.