Victoria’s proposed work-from-home laws, which would have granted workers new rights, will be delayed until July 2027, a full year later than initially planned. Premier Ben Carroll confirmed the postponement after direct consultations with powerful business lobby groups, including the Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Australian Industry Group. The delay means workers, particularly women, carers, and disabled people, will be denied these "hard-earned rights" for an extended period, potentially forcing them back into full-time commuting.
Carroll informed Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive Sally Curtain and Australian Industry Group head Tim Piper that the laws would not proceed on September 1 as scheduled. "I've spoken with Sally Curtain this morning, and Tim Piper, and I've informed them that work-from-home will not proceed on the 1st of September," he stated. "It will proceed on the 1st of July, 2027." This decision follows intense pressure from capital, which had consistently opposed the legislation.
Capital's Demands Met
The Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry immediately welcomed the delay, though its chief executive, Sally Curtain, reiterated the organization's demand that the legislation be "scrapped" entirely. Curtain described the bill as posing a "profound risk" to the state’s economy, calling it "completely unnecessary, costly and burdensome for Victorian businesses." Her comments reveal the capitalist class's primary concern: the protection of profit margins over the well-being and flexibility of the workforce. The Business Council of Australia chief executive, Bran Black, echoed these sentiments, arguing the Victorian economy "cannot afford another policy that drives investment and jobs away," claiming it would hurt Victorians through "lower living standards." These statements frame worker protections as economic liabilities, rather than fundamental rights.
Business leaders specifically voiced concerns about a perceived "lack of flexibility" in the legislation and the "economic impact of home office costs" on smaller businesses. These are the costs capital seeks to offload onto individual workers, rather than absorb as part of doing business. The government's decision to delay directly serves these interests, ensuring that businesses can continue to dictate terms of employment without the "burden" of accommodating workers' needs.
The State's Allegiance
Premier Carroll, a Labor leader, explicitly positioned his government as an ally of capital. In an interview last week, he declared, "I'll roll the red carpet out for them. I want to grow our economy. We've got the best workforce in the nation, the most skilled. This is my focus." He added, "I think it's about a rhetorical reset, making sure that business knows I'm in their corner." This public declaration of allegiance to the "business community" underscores the state's role in facilitating capital accumulation, even at the expense of its working population.
The Shadow Attorney-General, James Newbury, further revealed the state's function in suppressing organized labor. While supporting work-from-home laws in principle, Newbury announced the opposition's proposed amendments, which include removing "the right of unions to enter the property of a person working from home." This proposed amendment directly targets the collective power of workers, seeking to isolate them and prevent organized resistance within their own homes, effectively extending the workplace into private dwellings without extending worker protections.
Workers' Rights Undermined
Greens leader Ellen Sandell sharply criticized the government's capitulation, stating, "Workers were weeks away from finally getting these hard-earned rights. Then the corporate lobby came knocking and the new Labor premier rolled over." Sandell highlighted the direct impact on vulnerable groups: "Women, carers and disabled people might now be forced back into commuting full-time for at least another 10 months because the new premier has decided keeping big business happy matters more than making working people's lives easier." This exposes the class nature of the delay, where the convenience and profit of capital are prioritized over the material conditions of the working class.
While delaying these crucial worker protections, Carroll also flagged other law reforms, including making coercive control a standalone criminal offence and scrapping "good character" references in sentencing. The government also announced it would work to limit the use of suppression orders, citing cases involving convicted rapists Ralph Carr and Tom Silvagni. However, the government stopped short of guaranteeing the change to suppression orders, stating these reforms would be contingent on Labor winning a fourth term at the state election later this year. These proposals, while presented as progressive, appear as a diversion, offering conditional or partial reforms in one area while actively undermining concrete gains for workers in another, demonstrating the state's strategy of managing contradictions without challenging the fundamental distribution of power.