OddsFrontVictoria’s two-day work-from-home bill delayed until after state election
An 18-17 vote sent the Australian-first proposal to an inquiry after opposition and crossbench legislators unexpectedly combined to block its passage.
Parliament sends landmark bill to inquiry
Proposed Victorian legislation guaranteeing eligible employees the right to work from home for two days a week has been effectively delayed until after the state election. On September 10, opposition and crossbench members combined to refer the bill to an inquiry by 18 votes to 17. The procedural decision makes passage before the November election unlikely and turns the policy into an unresolved campaign issue.
The proposal was designed as an Australian first: a statutory baseline for remote work rather than an arrangement dependent solely on employers or individual contracts. The former state premier Jacinta Allan announced it in 2025 after a federal debate over requiring public servants to return to offices full-time. The Victorian Coalition had indicated that it would support the bill, and passage had been expected before its surprise decision to join the referral.
A narrow and diverse blocking coalition
The inquiry motion was advanced by Shooters, Fishers and Farmers MP Jeff Bourman. It passed with support from the Coalition and crossbench representatives including Legalise Cannabis, Libertarian David Limbrick, former Liberal MP Moira Deeming and One Nation’s Rikkie-Lee Tyrrell. The coalition was assembled around further examination of the bill rather than a single alternative remote-work policy, leaving its eventual fate uncertain.
Why the delay matters
Work-from-home rules affect labour mobility, commercial property, transport demand and the bargaining power of employees whose jobs can be performed remotely. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights recognizes the right to work and to just and favourable conditions, but it does not prescribe remote work or establish that employees have a universal right to perform duties from home. The Victorian debate is therefore about how a contemporary legislature should translate broad labour protections into a post-pandemic economy.
The immediate question is the scope and timetable of the inquiry. If it cannot report before parliament rises for the election, voters will effectively decide between competing approaches without a completed legislative process. Supporters must explain eligibility, enforcement and effects on smaller employers; opponents must say whether they want amendments or indefinite postponement. The referral does not defeat the bill, but it removes the certainty of near-term enactment and makes the election result central to whether the guarantee returns.