Right to Work from Home for Eligible Employees
Equal Opportunity Amendment (Work from Home) Bill 2026
Legislative Assembly
Legislative Council
Assent
Introduced by: Jacinta Allan MP (ALP); The Hon Jaclyn Symes MLC (ALP)
Links to official parliament websites
Effects of this bill
If this bill passes, it means that:
The Debate
What different members said when this bill was debated:
James Newbury LIB
“I rise to speak on the Equal Opportunity Amendment (WorkfromHome)Bill2026,andIsayattheoutsetthatthecoalition,theLiberalandNationalparties, support the right to work from home. Let me say that very, very clearly: we support the right to work from home, and because we support the right to work from home, we of course will not be opposing the bill. Members interjecting.”
Paul Edbrooke ALP
“I rise to speak on the Equal Opportunity Amendment(WorkfromHome)Bill 2026. Ispeakto itasMinisterfor Costof Living,becausethatis what this bill is really about. This bill is about the cost of getting to work. It is about the cost of being kept away from home. It is, in essence, a cost-of-living measure. A while ago we made a promise to Victorian families and Victorian workers.”
Mathew Hilakari ALP
“The member for Gippsland South I think was trying to bore us to death during his contribution, and I think this will be the approach of much of the opposition. It is good to see you nodded. We have got on well, in particular in our time on the Public Accounts and Estimates Committee. But he was attempting to bore us to death because they want to really hide away from this legislation.”
Wayne Farnham LIB
“I am pleased to rise to contribute on the Equal Opportunity Amendment (Work from Home) Bill 2026. Just in reference to the member for Point Cook, I do not know if I would work on the table or the desk that you built. Given your practical skill as a tradesperson, I think that would be an OH&S safety hazard right at the start. I would not trust it.”
Eden Foster ALP
“I rise today in supportof the EqualOpportunityAmendment (Work from Home) Bill 2026. It goes without saying that this is a piece of legislation that inspires engagement and debate almost unlike any other I have had the privilege of considering in my time as the member for Mulgrave, and I understand why.”
Anthony Marsh LIB
“We recognise that flexible work is now an established feature in many Victorian workplaces. Where a role can be performed remotely, working from home can reduce travel time, assist employees with family responsibilities and help employers attract and retain staff.”
John Lister ALP
“In the short time I have before we break I would just like to foreshadow that some of my contribution will be around not just the mechanics of the work-from- home legislation that is before us but also the significance when it comes to our economy, as well as how it operates in the outer suburbs, particularly in the suburbs that I represent, like Wyndham Vale, Mambourin and Manor Lakes.”