Property Council of Australia Chief Executive Ken Morrison has welcomed the Prime Minister’s call for public servants to return to their offices, and for other businesses and workers to follow suit.
“You can’t have economic recovery without thriving CBD economies,” Ken Morrison said.
“Building owners and managers have worked to ensure their office buildings are COVID-safe and ready for workers to return. It’s time to get Australia moving again.”
According to a Property Council of Australia survey of members who own or manage office buildings in CBD locations, occupancy levels have mainly remained static, despite very low or no transmission numbers reported in many locations.
Melbourne’s occupancy rate of 10 per cent is the lowest in the country, while occupancy in the Sydney CBD was at 35 per cent, up from 30 per cent the previous month.
Canberra sits at 46 per cent, while Brisbane increased from 45 per cent to 52 per cent, and Perth rose from 55 per cent to 63 per cent.
Adelaide’s occupancy rate increased to 67 per cent, up from 61 per cent. Darwin was steady at 70 per cent, while Hobart is up to 78 per cent, compared to 60 per cent in the previous period.
“Our CBDs are big drivers of productivity and economic activity,” Ken Morrison said.
“Their reactivation is absolutely essential to economic recovery, including supporting all of those businesses which depend on CBD office workers for their viability.”
