Cross-Border Catch-Up: Victoria, Australia’s Work From Home Law

In this episode of our Cross-Border Catch-Up podcast series, Kate Thompson (New York/Boston) and Carlos Colón-Machargo (Atlanta) examine Victoria’s proposed Equal Opportunity Amendment Work From Home Bill 2026, which would convert working from home from a request employees can make into a right they can claim, shifting the burden onto employers to justify any refusal. The speakers cover the bill’s eligibility rules, its interaction with the federal Fair Work Act’s flexible work provisions, the 21-day notice and response process, employer cost obligations, and the dispute path through the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission and VCAT. The conversation closes with practical guidance for multinational employers on why a single global work from home policy cannot be assumed to apply uniformly across jurisdictions.