Four-day work week for Aussies: Council becomes the first in the country to trial new roster

Published: 04:06, 3 August 2026 | Updated: 04:07, 3 August 2026 A council will become the first in Australia to trial a four-day work week as it attempts to boost productivity and attract staff.   Murrumbidgee Council, in south-west NSW, will give employees 52 long weekends from next year. The trial will maintain the existing 38-hour working week for employees across the council's depot, office, library and work crews, with hours compressed into four longer days instead of five.  Council services will close on Fridays, with the exception of childcare and caravan park facilities, while on-call essential service workers will continue to be rostered.  The decision follows staff and community consultations, with employees voting overwhelmingly in favour of the shorter working week model. The 15-month trial will begin in January, with the council to review the results after 12 months.  If productivity targets are met, the new working arrangement could become a permanent fixture. 'The agreement will be for 15 months so that we can have a review in 12 months … and we can determine whether it's going to continue or revert back,' council general manager John Scarce told the ABC. Murrumbidgee Council will make history as the first local government organisation in Australia to introduce a four-day working week trial  Mr Scarce said the move was not only about productivity, but would also give the rural council a 'competitive edge' in attracting workers to regional Australia. The council will spend the next six months preparing for the trial, including finalising how the working arrangements will operate and establishing performance measures to track its success.   But the community is divided over whether it will be a good thing.  Darlington Point resident Michael Painting said he believed the council had not fully considered all the potential impacts. 'I can't see how they can increase productivity when there's going to be less daylight hours to work in with the extended hours,' he said. Resident Jody Heath, who has owned a butcher shop for 30 years, said he had seen the benefits of a shorter working week firsthand after reducing his business hours three years ago from five and a half days to four.  'It really works having that one day a week. It's just more productive for us. We have a lot of early starts and later finishes, but we get a lot more work done,' he said. The United Services Union, which has long supported reduced working hours, praised the council's decision, saying similar models have already proven successful overseas. Most council services will be closed on Fridays  'A lot of the data comes from Scandinavian countries,' industrial officer Stuart Geddes said.  'When countries, particularly in the local government sector, implemented a four-day work week, they saw an improvement of productivity despite longer work hours.'