More than 1,000 members weigh in on work from home bill
A survey of more than 1,000 Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry members found strong business opposition to Victoria’s work from home bill. Three out of four respondents said the legislation would negatively affect their operations.
Almost 60% said they would be more likely to start, expand or invest outside Victoria if the Equal Opportunity Amendment (Work from Home) Bill passes. The chamber said businesses overwhelmingly want the bill abandoned.
The proposal is now heading to the Upper House after Premier Ben Carroll approved debate on 27 August 2026. The Victorian Chamber expects the bill to pass that week.
Business confidence stayed weak after pause
The chamber had called for the bill to be scrapped altogether. It argued the current system between employers and employees already supports flexible work options without the new law.
According to the survey, a majority of businesses said the government’s initial decision to pause the bill did not improve confidence in the Carroll Government. Instead, members want the government to make it easier to employ Victorians, reduce business costs and deal with state debt.
Some respondents described deep frustration. One member said they would “take urgent steps to exit conducting business in Victoria.” Another said Victoria had become “one of the most expensive states in Australia to hire staff.”
Sally Curtain warns on jobs and investment
Victorian Chamber chief executive Sally Curtain called the measure another “Only in Victoria” policy. She argued that, at a time when the state should compete harder for investment, jobs and talent, the bill would add its own rules, costs and barriers.
Curtain also said the outcome was avoidable. She said the chamber had put forward another option that would have cost less, regulated less and still achieved the objective, but the government did not adopt it.
She also pointed to Premier Carroll’s earlier push to reset relations with business. Curtain said the Premier had not listened and was now putting Victorian jobs and investment opportunities at risk.
The chamber did not disclose how many businesses answered each survey question. It also did not set out the alternative model it says it offered to government.
