Victoria delays work-from-home legislation amid business opposition
Consensus Summary
Victoria’s Labor government, led by Premier Ben Carroll, has delayed the implementation of work-from-home laws from 1 September to 1 July 2027, following pressure from business groups like the Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Australian Industry Group. The legislation, originally proposed by former Premier Jacinta Allan in 2025, was intended to guarantee employees the right to work at least two days a week from home. Carroll framed the delay as a reset with the business community, though opposition parties and some Labor MPs criticized the move as a broken promise. Business leaders, including Sally Curtain and Tim Piper, have argued the laws are unnecessary and could harm the economy, while the opposition has offered amendments to ease implementation. The delay comes ahead of the November state election, with the legislation still expected to pass but with significant changes.
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Key details reported by multiple sources:
- Premier Ben Carroll delayed the implementation of work-from-home laws from 1 September to 1 July 2027
- The legislation was originally proposed to allow employees to work at least two days a week from home
- The November state election is the next major political event referenced in the articles
- Ben Carroll consulted with Sally Curtain (Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry) and Tim Piper (Australian Industry Group) about the delay
- The business community, including the Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, opposes the legislation, calling it unnecessary or burdensome
- Jacinta Allan initially announced the work-from-home legislation in 2025
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- Jacinta Allan promised the legislation would be in place before the November election to draw opposition into a political fight
- 68 per cent of all full-time office workers in Victoria can already work at least two days a week from home
- The decision reflects a shift in Labor’s approach from Allan’s confrontational style to Carroll’s focus on 'genuine problems'
- The practice of working from home is a well-established feature of post-pandemic life in Victoria, with many having done so for nearly two years during COVID
- The delay pushes the implementation into the next parliament, potentially after the November state election
- The opposition accused Carroll of breaking a promise made by Allan that the laws would be in place by 1 September
- Business lobby groups, including the Business Council of Australia, warned of rising unemployment and company relocations if the laws passed
- The delay was described as an 11th-hour media blitz by business lobby groups, including a press conference with nine speakers
- The opposition’s shadow attorney general, James Newbury, said the Coalition would not stand in the bill’s way but wanted amendments
- The legislation was first flagged by Jacinta Allan last year (2025)
- The delay is described as nearly 12 months from the original 1 September date to 1 July 2027
- The opposition proposed amendments to ease a transition period and remove union rights to enter private property for home workers
- The Business Council of Australia’s Bran Black stated Victoria has the highest unemployment rate in the country
Contradictions
Conflicting information between sources:
- The Guardian and ABC state the delay pushes implementation to 1 July 2027, but The Age does not mention this specific date
- The Guardian and ABC say the legislation will pass before the November state election, while The Age implies the delay may reduce its political salience
- The Guardian states the delay is 10 months from the original 1 September date, while ABC states it is nearly 12 months
- The Guardian mentions a press conference with nine speakers by business lobby groups, but this detail is not in The Age or ABC
Source Articles
On working from home, Carroll has retreated from a fight about nothing
The point of legislating a right to work from home was to draw a feckless Liberal Party and the business lobby into a Duttonesque stoush.
Victoria had bipartisan support for a legal right to work from home. So why has Ben Carroll kicked it down the road?
New Victorian premier delays proposed right to work from home two days a week until next July, despite Coalition support Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast In 2025, Jacinta Allan pulled off a rare political masterstroke. Off the back of a federal election that Peter Dutton arguably lost, in part, because of his crusade to force public servants back into the office , Allan announced that Victoria would legislate the
Victoria's work-from-home laws delayed until July 2027
Premier Ben Carroll has promised to reset his relationship with Victorian businesses, and says he is open to "common-sense" amendments to the proposed work-from-home legislation.