New Victorian premier delays proposed right to work from home two days a week until next July, despite Coalition support
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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 right to work from home two days a week for those who can reasonably do so.
The message was simple and effective: the premier was on your side. Allan was standing up to the corporate behemoths – and their buddies in parliament – who wanted you back at your desk, five days a week.
But just when the bill was about to pass this week, the new premier, Ben Carroll, muddled the message.
After the shadow attorney general, James Newbury, told reporters the Coalition would not stand in the bill’s way and they “support people’s right to work from home” (subject to a few amendments), Carroll said debate on the legislation would be delayed.
Not only that, he said the earliest the laws would commence would be next July – 10 months later than originally planned and more than six months after the November state election.
It followed an 11th-hour media blitz by the country’s largest business lobby groups, including a press conference with nine speakers, featuring warnings that unemployment would rise and companies may relocate.
“I spoke to a member this morning who said to me, ‘working from home could also be working from the Philippines’,” said Tim Piper, from the Australian Industry Group.
Carroll said he had spoken to both Piper and Sally Curtain, the Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive, on Tuesday morning to confirm the delay. He described it as part of his “reset with the business community” and a signal that Victoria was “open for business”.
“I want to be very clear – I support work from home. I support flexible work. It is good for working families,” he said on Tuesday.
“Equally, though … everyone knows it’s a partnership between working families and the business community and the government.
“That is why I’ve delayed these changes, and it’s why I’m going to continue to work with the business community on making sure this policy is right.”
