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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Anna Spargo-Ryan

How Melbourne became a city of homebodies

Mostly empty Bourke St in Melbourne
Office occupancy rates in Melbourne are sitting at around 48% – even as AFL games and theatre productions draw sellout crowds. Photograph: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

People in Adelaide bloody love returning to the office. Figures released this week put them at the top of the table when it comes to office occupancy rates compared with pre-pandemic figures – with Brisbane trailing only slightly behind.

Not so down here in Melbourne. In the city “On the Move” (do our number plates still say that? I haven’t been outside since March), office occupancy rates are wallowing around 48%. Both our peak days (57%) and low days (27%) are the lowest recorded. Here, in the same iconic place that brought you the Arts Centre spire and the final episodes of Neighbours, offices are still mostly empty.

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