Victoria’s landmark legislation guaranteeing workers the right to work from home two days a week is unlikely to be passed before the state election in November, after key political opponents successfully moved to delay the bill.
The proposed law, initially announced in 2025 by former premier Jacinta Allan, aimed to enshrine a right for Victorian employees to request remote work under the Equal Opportunity Act, responding in part to backlash against the federal Coalition’s push to compel public servants back to office full-time. The legislation would apply to all employees in Victoria, including part-time and casual workers, and cover businesses of all sizes.
Despite expectations that the bill would clear parliament this week, the Victorian Liberal-National Coalition unexpectedly allied with several crossbench MPs to refer the legislation to a parliamentary committee for further review. The referral motion, moved by Shooters, Fishers and Farmers MP Jeff Bourman, passed narrowly by 18 votes to 17 on Thursday. The committee is scheduled to report by October 20, after the parliament’s final sitting day on September 24, effectively postponing any vote until after the state election.
Among those supporting the referral motion were members of the Legalise Cannabis party, Libertarian MP David Limbrick, Moira Deeming who recently joined Family First, One Nation’s Rikkie-Lee Tyrrell, and Adem Somyurek, a former Labor MP making his first parliamentary appearance this year. Shadow attorney general James Newbury said the Coalition backed the delay to allow more time for business groups to evaluate the amendments Premier Ben Carroll introduced on the morning of the vote.
Carroll strongly criticized the opposition for what he called “pretending to support” the work-from-home laws while collaborating with One Nation to stall them. He accused opposition leader Jess Wilson of revealing her “true colours” in the maneuver and likened her approach to that of federal Liberal leader Peter Dutton. In contrast, Greens MP Aiv Puglielli placed blame on the government for delaying debate and watering down the bill to accommodate corporate interests, calling for an urgent parliamentary recall to pass the laws before election day. Animal Justice MP Georgie Purcell, who abstained from the vote, echoed concerns that last-minute amendments provided insufficient time for proper consideration.
Carroll declined to recall parliament, signaling that the work-from-home issue could become a central topic during the election campaign.
The business community welcomed the delay. Cath Evans of the Property Council commended parliament’s decision to send the bill to committee, citing constitutional concerns raised in legal advice obtained from experts Nick Wood SC and Leigh Howard. Their assessment found the bill conflicted with the federal Fair Work Act, risking its invalidation under section 109 of the Australian Constitution, which stipulates that inconsistent state laws are overridden by federal legislation. Major business organizations, including the Business Council of Australia, the Australian Industry Group, and the Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, had earlier urged the government to abandon the bill, warning it posed economic risks and could prompt job losses to other states.
Originally, the bill was scheduled to take effect on September 1, with a delayed implementation for small businesses starting July 1, 2027. However, after Carroll assumed the premiership in July, he paused the upper house debate to allow further business consultations and postponed the bill’s commencement to July 2027.