WFH twist as 1.3 millions Aussies to benefit from government's plan: 'Deserve'

"If you can work from home for a small business, you deserve the same rights as someone working for a big bank. Not everyone can work from home, but everyone can benefit. Allan said that while many large companies and organisations already offer flexibility, these arrangements were less common in small businesses."

"The legal right would apply to both public and private sector workers. Employees on probation would reportedly be exempt, with the government determining what the cut-off period would be. The government has indicated that it would legislate the right by inserting it into the state's Equal Opportunity Act."

"Legal groups have warned the plan could be subject to a High Court challenge because Victoria, like other states, gave its industrial relations powers to the Commonwealth decades ago. The provision would make it unlawful to discriminate against people who reasonably insist on working from home."

Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan announced legislation granting employees the right to work from home two days per week where reasonably feasible. The law will apply universally across public and private sectors, covering all 1.3 million workers in small businesses despite earlier suggestions of exemptions. Only employees on probation will be excluded. The government plans to insert this right into the state's Equal Opportunity Act, making discrimination against those requesting remote work unlawful. Legal experts have raised concerns about potential High Court challenges, citing Victoria's limited industrial relations powers following Commonwealth delegation decades ago. The initiative aims to provide equitable flexibility across all business sizes.

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