Wednesday, 17 June 2026

 Jaclyn SYMES (Northern Victoria – Treasurer, Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for Development Victoria and Precincts) (12:07): I would like to talk about the Labor government’s work-from-home legislation that has now been introduced into the Parliament. We are enshrining the right to work from home in law, and we are not leaving casuals and part-time workers behind; they will be covered by the legislation as well. The Productivity Commission says that people who have found it difficult to find fair and dignified employment, such as carers, parents of young children, people with a disability and people living in remote regional areas, were more likely to find a job since working from home came into effect effectively after the pandemic. It is no wonder that since last budget we have more women working in Victoria than ever before. It is backed by the Committee for Economic Development of Australia, whose research shows that working from home has increased workforce participation by 4.4 per cent. CEDA also states that working from home on average saves people around $110 a week or $5000 a year. That is important, because working from home is about making sure every Victorian has the opportunity for fair and dignified work, because a fair economy is dynamic, is stable, is progressive and contributes to the economy, Mr Davis.

There are people running around talking a false narrative about working from home being bad for the economy. Our survey found that already around two-thirds of workers in Victoria regularly work from home. It is this that is contributing to the strength of the Victorian economy. As I said, the latest ABS statistics show that Victoria had the second-highest economic growth in the March quarter, backed by business investment of nearly 15 per cent over the last year and over 55 per cent since 2020. Again, we continue to outstrip everybody else in the nation. It is very quiet over there now. It is only Labor that is on the side of working Victorians. Unlike some who are against workers rights and do not support pay rises for the lowest paid workers in the state, we will continue to back workers every day.