Working from home saves Victorian workers more than $5,000 a year. Labor is locking that in – for good.

Labor’s work from home laws will come into effect on Tuesday, 1 September.

Legislation introduced into the Victorian Parliament today will enshrine the right to work from home in the Equal Opportunity Act 2010.

Under the laws, Victorians who can work from home will have the legal right to do so two days a week.

Regular casual and part-time workers will be covered by these new laws.

Guidance will be released prior to commencement on how pro-rata entitlements will work.

It will have a delayed commencement of 1 July 2027 for workplaces with fewer than 15 employees, giving them more time to get their policies and procedures in order.

The law will provide a clear pathway for dispute resolution and enforcement.

Disputes will go to the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission (VEOHRC) for conciliation or to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT).

If conciliation fails, the dispute will be heard at VCAT.

Work from home works for families:

• More than a third of workers – including 60 per cent of professionals – regularly work from home
• It saves families money, giving workers back on average $110 a week or $5,308 every year
• It cuts congestion. Victorians are now saving more than three hours a week on average commuting
• It gets more people working. Workforce participation is now 4.4 per cent higher than before the pandemic.

But it’s all at risk. Every day, unions hear from workers denied reasonable work from home requests.