Wednesday, 29 October 2025

 Anthony CIANFLONE (Pascoe Vale) (21:06): (1378) My adjournment matter is for the Premier, and the action I seek is for the Premier to provide an update on the Victorian Labor government’s commitment to protect the rights of working people to work from home. Working from home of course works for families. It is good for the economy, and that is why we have commenced community consultation on the proposed new laws which will provide for people who can reasonably do their jobs from home two days a week the right to do so across the public and private sectors. We have recently completed that record-breaking statewide consultation survey, hearing from workers and employers, because we want to ensure the final legislation reflects real-world experiences. Victorians have spoken loud and clear. They want and need their right to work from home to be protected, with the statewide survey finding that more than 74 per cent of employees surveyed – that is 25,700 people – said the right to work from home was extremely important to them. More than 3200 said they did not feel they could ask their current employer to work from home. Of those who could work from home but currently do not, most had requested it but were refused. Almost all of those who were refused felt it was unreasonable, and the vast majority said it led to further challenges for them in the workplace.

Survey respondents were asked to rank the benefits of working from home and stated that saving time was the main reason, with more than 13,300 saying their one-way trip to work takes over an hour. The second benefit was saving money, with many saying commuting costs between $25 and $49 a week. The third-highest benefit of working from home was being able to focus without distractions. Additionally, more than 28,700 people told us they were more productive when working from home in terms of hours worked and milestones achieved and that two days was the most common theme of people working from home. Ninety-four per cent of people surveyed were employees, 60 per cent were employers, 57 per cent were female, 40 per cent were male and 53 per cent were parents or carers. The number one age bracket was 35 to 44. Forty-four per cent said there was someone else in their household who works from home; of those, 83 per cent said it makes a big difference.

Along with the statewide survey, I am very pleased to draw the Premier and the Parliament’s attention to the outstanding parliamentary internship report that was undertaken by Owen Rees from Deakin University, in my office. ‘A right or a privilege? Working from home in the state electorate of Pascoe Vale’ found that 63 per cent of Pascoe Vale survey respondents currently work from home, 70 per cent of local respondents wish they could work from home and 70 per cent support a legal right to work from home for jobs that can reasonably be done from home. People who work from home save money and report higher job satisfaction, less burnout, less stress and more job security. Fifty-seven per cent strongly agreed it saves money, 67 per cent strongly say it supports household wellbeing, 48 per cent said it supports more productivity and 60 per cent said they are more likely to visit the local shops, retail strips and cafes and support small businesses. Working from home is important for women, with 84 per cent of local women respondents saying working from home is very important to their households. Working from home increases the labour force participation for mothers, carers and people with mental health conditions and physical conditions. The report put forward three recommendations for government to consider, which I draw the Premier’s attention to, and I thank Owen for his hard work. He did a number of street stalls and train stations, and we did a lot of information distribution with locals to get a really good turnout. He has done a fantastic job, and I draw the Parliament’s attention to the report.