Australia's opposition Liberal Party abandoned on Monday a plan to force government workers to return to the office full-time, as incumbent Labor gained in polls ahead of a May 3 election. Working from home emerged as an election battleground last month after the Liberal Party said it would bar hundreds of thousands of government employees from doing so, in a bid to boost productivity. The policy was seized upon by Labor which claimed it would increase commuting costs in a campaign that has been dominated by cost of living concerns.