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The Canberra Times
The Canberra Times
National
Miriam Webber

Canberra office occupancy hits highest level in almost a year

Canberra's office occupancy has reached the highest levels since July 2021, hitting 60 per cent in May after a slump in April.

The figures are based on a survey of office owners by the Property Council of Australia, and present office occupancy data as a percentage of the pre-COVID rate of occupancy, estimated to be 90 per cent.

Office occupancy levels in Canberra were above those of Sydney and Melbourne, which reached 55 and 48 per cent respectively.

Adelaide's CBD registered the highest levels for May at 71 per cent, followed by Brisbane and Perth at 64 and 63 per cent.

On a peak day, occupancy in Canberra workspaces sat at 67 per cent in May, while that figure dropped to 32 per cent on low days.

Office owners identified the main influence on occupancy as being a preference for flexibility, including working from home.

ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr has previously signaled a move towards a hybrid work model for territory public servants, whereby staff are allowed to work from home, from offices across Canberra, and outside of traditional 9-5 hours.

The ACT government will introduce so-called flexi offices at Tuggeranong and Belconnen to allow staff to work from an office close by rather than their directorate's home base.

These spaces will be within existing ACT government offices and will open in the first quarter of the new financial year.

Office occupancy hit 60 per cent in Canberra for the month of May. Picture: Shutterstock
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