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Australian state may workers give legal right to WFH

Oct 6, 2025, 6:55am EDT
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Victoria skyline
Andrew Kelly/Reuters

An Australian state is looking to give its residents the legal right to work from home, a further sign of shifting post-pandemic workplace norms.

Victoria, the country’s second-most-populous state, plans from next year to allow employees to do their jobs from home for two days a week. The move is divisive: 76% of Australians say they want higher wages to return to full-time in-office work, in order to offset the commute time and expense.

But most bosses say they want to end remote working, and business owners told The Australian the plan would be economically damaging. Australia is often a global test bed for legislation: Its hardline anti-vaping and social media laws have been copied elsewhere.

A chart showing average days in the office per week in major cities.
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