A four day work week, or six hour days, with a guaranteed “adequate income” would make Australians happier, reduce the cost of childcare, and create more jobs for others, according to Greens leader Richard Di Natale.
The former doctor will outline his party’s priorities at the National Press Club on Wednesday, and wants to “kick off a conversation” about the future of work.
“We rightly talk about the 16 per cent of people who want to work more hours, but we never hear about the more than one in four Australians who want to work less,” Senator Di Natale will say.
“A four day work week, or a six-hour day might actually make us happier and create more opportunities for others, not to mention reducing the costs of full-time childcare.”
The Greens leader wants the conversation to include “a guaranteed adequate income”.
“Many other countries are trialing models of a social security safety net that are designed to look after everyone in a 21st century economy where work has changed radically,” he will say.
Senator Di Natale will also touch on affordable housing - with the government promising to address the issue in its May budget - and push for reforms to negative gearing and capital gains tax, in addition to a “transition plan” for the states to remove stamp duty.
“Stamp duty raises the price of housing and stops people from moving between homes even when they want to so it’s about time we levelled the playing field and got rid of it,” the senator will say.
A “people’s bank” will also be flagged by Senator Di Natale to inject “real competition into the banking system”.
“Imagine real help for people buying their first house, jobs for people in regional areas and a bank that pursued social objectives, like housing affordability, not just profit-driven ones.”
