Thursday, 5 March 2026

 Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Premier) (14:40): As we have heard, this week we are marking International Women’s Day. It is a reminder of something that many Victorian women know all too well: that women with kids in this state are some of the most time-poor people in Victoria, and it is no surprise when they juggle school drop-offs, work, child care, caring responsibilities and everything that keeps a family running. So when we talk about progress for women and supporting women, we also have to talk about time, because when you give women more time back in their day that helps them stay in work – great for the economy – builds their careers and also helps them to continue to support their family. Of course one of the ways to give more Victorian women time back in their day is to protect their right to work from home, because working from home helps families manage all of those challenges and juggles, reduces commutes, makes it easier to balance family and work life, keeps more women in the workforce and gives them the opportunity to increase their working hours. It also saves money. It can save families more than $5000 a year, and we know workers across Victoria understand this. In Northcote – the member for Northcote and I were reflecting on this just yesterday ‍– 43 per cent of workers say they work from home some of the time. The number is the same in Albert Park. In Ashwood and Footscray we see thousands of people working from home, and of course they love it in Kew, where 39 per cent of people work from home. They love it because it works for them and it works for their families. These workers also know that it is only a Labor government that will protect Victorians’ right to work from home by protecting it in law.