As the coalition walks back plans to shrink public sector work-from-home policies, experts say Australia has reached a turning point in helping families balance work and care.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has apologised for the work-from-home ban as he announced the reversal, after facing heavy criticism from Labor over the proposal.
"We got it wrong, we've apologised for it, we support flexible workplace arrangements," Mr Dutton told reporters in Adelaide on Monday.
The latest polling by YouGov indicated a slide in support for the Liberals, particularly among women concerned about the potential rolling back of remote work.
But Mr Dutton denied the coalition had issues with representing women, saying he had the same number of female shadow cabinet members as the Labor government had in its cabinet.
The reversal comes as a report identifies key themes that should guide federal policy for work, care and families.
Weeks out from Australians voting in the federal election, the report by University of Sydney and RMIT researchers recommends paid carers' leave, gender pay equality and high-quality care infrastructure.
It also calls for an extension to paid parental leave to 52 weeks with an extended period earmarked for each parent. Paid parental leave is currently 22 weeks, rising to 26 weeks by 2026.
"Australia is at a turning point of work, care and family policy," University of Sydney academic Elizabeth Hill told AAP.
"There is a mismatch between the fixed time demands of paid work and the moveable feast of caring responsibilities."
While not all industries and workplaces could accommodate flexibility such as working from home, Professor Hill said it should be a priority for those that could.
"Flexible working lifts labour supply and allows workers to engage in the type of work they are trained for, which is really good for national productivity and in turn is good for individuals, for workplaces and for the national economy," she said.
"In a labour market where supply is tight and there are shortages, flexible work is part of the answer but the research does tell us that it has to be managed well."
Experts also said a national system of universal, free, high-quality early childhood education would help build a sustainable workforce.
Since the last election, reforms like paid domestic violence leave and increased wages for support and care workers had helped Australians to balance work and care, RMIT academic Sara Charlesworth said.
"Despite this progress, Australia remains a global laggard in the level of national investment in early childhood education and care, aged care, and paid parental leave," she said.
Greens senator Barbara Pocock said voters "shouldn't be fooled" by the opposition leader's backflip on work-from-home arrangements.
"Opposing flexibility for workers and cutting the public service is in the Liberals' DNA, and watering down their policy statements after a voter backlash doesn't hide their ultimate agenda of shrinking the public sector workforce and opposing flexibility," she said.
