The Victorian Government will legislate a legal right to work from home two days a week, embedding the reform in the Equal Opportunity Act and positioning the state at the centre of the national debate over flexible work.
From 1 September 2026, Victorian employees whose roles can be performed remotely will gain a statutory right to work from home two days each week. The Allan Labor Government will introduce the enabling legislation to State Parliament in July, with the reform framed as a world first approach to protecting hybrid work arrangements in law.
The new entitlement will apply regardless of workplace size, following an earlier announcement that removed thresholds tied to business scale. However, smaller workplaces with fewer than 15 employees will receive additional time to prepare, with a delayed commencement date of 1 July 2027 to allow updates to human resources policies and internal procedures.
Disputes over work from home requests will be directed first to the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission for conciliation. Matters that remain unresolved will proceed to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal for formal determination.
A structural shift in how Victorians work
According to government data, more than a third of Victorian workers now regularly work from home, including 60 per cent of professionals. The policy is being promoted as a cost of living measure, with estimates suggesting remote work saves households an average of $110 per week, or $5,308 annually.
Reduced commuting time is another key argument underpinning the reform. Victorians are said to be saving more than three hours a week previously spent travelling to and from the workplace. The Government also links flexible work to labour force participation, noting that workforce participation sits 4.4 per cent higher than pre-pandemic levels.
For the cleaning and facilities management sector, the legislation signals an ongoing recalibration of workplace occupancy patterns. Hybrid work continues to influence building usage, cleaning frequencies and service delivery models across commercial property portfolios. Facility managers will need to consider how consistent two day remote work rights shape rostering, peak demand periods and resource allocation within office environments.
Political flashpoint
The announcement arrives amid broader national debate about the future of remote work, with unions reporting ongoing disputes over denied flexible work requests. The Victorian Government has positioned the reform as a safeguard against any future rollback of hybrid work arrangements.
Premier Jacinta Allan said protecting work from home in legislation would give families certainty.
“Work from home works for families, because it saves time and money and it gets more parents working,” Allan said.
Minister for Industrial Relations Jaclyn Symes said embedding the right in statute would prevent it from being removed by future governments or employers.
“Enshrining this right in law means no boss or Liberal can take it away from our workers,” Symes said.
With legislation set for introduction in July and commencement slated for September 2026, Victoria is poised to become the first Australian jurisdiction to formally protect a guaranteed level of hybrid work. For the commercial cleaning industry, the reform underscores a long term shift in how offices operate, how space is used and how services are delivered across the state.
