State government will weigh how to define remote work, who can do it
Jacinta Allan, Victoria’s premier, and Jaclyn Symes, the state’s industrial relations minister, have announced the launch of a consultation in advance of the introduction to Parliament of legislation aiming to confirm the right to work from home in 2026.
Under the proposed laws, a public or private sector worker who could reasonably perform their work duties from home would have the right to do so for at least two days per week, according to a media release from the Victorian state government.
The state government shared that the consultation seeks to:
The state government urged Victorians to share their feedback on the planned legislation through two possible ways:
The survey asks employers and employees how they feel about work-from-home arrangements, whether employees have had their employers refuse a request to work from home, and whether they believe they can successfully file such a request in their current workplace.
“One of the reasons work from home is at risk because there are no rules – and workers don’t know where they stand,” Allan said in the media release. “You can help us get the rules right by having your say.”
In its media release, the state government noted that over a third of Australian workers, including 60 percent of professionals, regularly work from home.
“So many Victorians rely on work from home, and so many businesses currently have flexible arrangements in place,” Symes said in the media release. “We want to listen to them about what’s worked.”
In its media release, the Victorian state government stressed that working from home:
“Work from home works for families and it’s good for the economy,” Allan said in Victoria’s media release. “If you can do your job from home, we are making it your right – because we’re on your side.”
The state government noted that workforce participation is 4.4 percent up from the figure prior to the pandemic.
