Australian state to enshrine work-from-home rights in law

This will make Victoria the first jurisdiction in Australia to introduce work-from-home rights. Read more at straitstimes.com.

MELBOURNE – Australia’s Victoria state is set to give people the legal right to work from home two days a week. 

The law will come into effect on Sept 1, Premier Jacinta Allan said in a statement on March 4. The change will be enshrined in the Equal Opportunity Act and makes Victoria the first jurisdiction in Australia to introduce work-from-home rights. 

“Work from home works for families, because it saves time and money and it gets more parents working,” said Ms Allan, who faces an election in November where she will try to lead her centre-left Labor Party to a fourth term in power. 

The policy will apply to all workplaces, though businesses with fewer than 15 workers will have a delayed start of July 1, 2027, to allow them to prepare for the change. 

The new policy has faced criticism from business groups over fears it will deter investment in the state economy. The Victorian capital, Melbourne, endured one of the world’s longest lockdowns during the Covid pandemic, and has been slow to bounce back. 

“A one-size-fits-all government mandate is the wrong approach,” Business Council of Australia chief executive officer Bran Black said in a statement on March 4. “With weak productivity growth, inflation rising and living standards under pressure, this proposal does nothing to address these real changes.”