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Victorian employers have been given some breathing room, with new Premier Ben Carroll announcing that Victoria’s proposed work from home reforms will not commence on 1 September 2026 as originally planned.

The Victorian Government has indicated it is now targeting 1 July 2027, allowing more time for consultation with the business community and consideration of potential amendments.

Importantly, the reforms are not yet law in their final form. The Equal Opportunity Amendment (Work from Home) Bill 2026 remains before the Victorian Parliament and may still change as it progresses through the parliamentary process.

What was proposed?

The proposed reforms attracted significant attention because they went further than the flexible working arrangements employers are currently familiar with.

The Bill proposed creating a statutory right for eligible Victorian employees to work from home for up to two days per week, where it is reasonable for their work to be performed from home.

Importantly, the proposal would establish working from home as a protected right under Victoria’s Equal Opportunity Act, with a formal pathway for disputes through the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission and, ultimately, VCAT.

For many employers, this raised understandable questions about how such a right would operate across very different workplaces, industries, roles and operational requirements.

What does this mean for employers?

For now, there is no new Victorian work from home entitlement for employers to implement.

Existing flexible working obligations continue to apply, including those under the Fair Work Act.

The Government’s decision to step away from the proposed September commencement provides more time for consultation and consideration of how the reforms should operate in practice.

For employers who had been preparing for a September start, that takes some of the immediate pressure off. It is still worth reviewing your work from home policies, employment contracts, hybrid work arrangements and processes for responding to flexible work requests, but there is no need to rush changes in anticipation of a new Victorian entitlement commencing next month.

We’ll continue to monitor the Bill as it progresses through Parliament and provide further guidance once the final form and commencement of the reforms are clearer.

Hear more about the proposed Working From Home legislation, from our colleague, Dan Feldman of HR Legal: https://lnkd.in/p/ggdNqHmM