Tuesday, 31 March 2026

 Dylan WIGHT (Tarneit) (13:17): The option to work from home is making a humungous difference to families right across my electorate of Tarneit. Working from home is all about providing flexibility and building a modern system that reflects how families live today. That is why the work being done by the Allan Labor government is so important. Supporting flexible work is a genuine option, not just a temporary change. What we are seeing as a result of this increased flexibility is families getting back time lost to commuting. Even an hour’s commute each way is 10 hours a week. That is 10 hours you do not get to spend with your kids, that is 10 hours you do not get to rest, that is 10 hours that you do not get back. Working from home gives that time straight back to people. Commuting costs also add up – fuel, public transport, parking and food on the go. For many families that is thousands of dollars each and every year. Working from home reduces those costs, providing real savings right away. This policy is also beneficial to the many small businesses in my community of Tarneit. Tarneit is one of the fastest growing small business communities in the state, and when people work closer to home, they spend closer to home. They are buying coffee locally, they are using local services and they are backing local jobs. That means money in our community. That helps small business grow. At its core this is simple: working from home, when done properly, means more time for families, less pressure on household budgets and stronger local economies. In communities like Tarneit, families are seeing these benefits in real time.