If you can do your job from home, you'll have the right to do so - no matter the size of your workplace.
That means small business workers who can work from home will have that right protected two days a week.
This is the first major update into the design of the Allan Labor Government's world-first work from home laws.
These laws are another new solution to make life easier and more affordable.
And today's update is all about fairness.
At the moment, the bigger the employer, the greater your chances of being allowed to work from home.
But flexibility is less common in smaller businesses, where more than 1.3 million Victorians work.
While not all small business workers are able to work from home, those that can deserve the same rights as someone working for a Big Four or a big bank.
We have consulted extensively with Victorians and businesses.
The largest-ever Victorian Government survey, with 37,485 responses, found:
- Three quarters of employees said the right to work from home was "extremely" important to them
- More than 3,200 didn't feel they could ask their current employer to work from home.
- Of those who don't work from home but physically could, most had asked for it - and most were refused
Work from home works for families:
- More than a third of workers - including 60 per cent of professionals - regularly work from home
- It saves families money, giving Australians back on average $110 a week or $5,308 every year
- It cuts congestion. Victorians are now saving more than three hours a week on average commuting
- It gets more people working. Workforce participation is now 4.4 per cent higher than before the pandemic
But it's at risk.
Every day, unions hear from workers denied reasonable work-from-home requests.
Across the country, Liberals are planning to end remote work and force people back to the office.
In Victoria, work from home will be just another thing that Jess Wilson and the Liberals will cut.
That's why we'll protect it in law.
As stated by Premier Jacinta Allan
"Work from home works for families, because it saves time and money and it gets more parents working."
"If you can work from home for a small business, you deserve the same rights as someone working for a big bank."
"Not everyone can work from home, but everyone can benefit."
As stated by Minister for Industrial Relations Jaclyn Symes
"Working From Home cuts costs, not productivity."
"Many workers who work from home already turn travel time into work time - saving them money and benefiting their employer."
