iscoverAccountants are pushing back against the Greens’ call to nationally legislate the Victorian state government’s plan to grant workers the right to work from home two days per week.
Greens, accountants go head-to-head over WFH debate
21 August 2025
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10 minute read
As reported earlier this month by Accountants Daily, Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan has proposed legislation that would grant employees in both the public and private sectors the right to work from home at least twice a week.
“Work from home works for families, and it’s good for the economy,” Allan said.
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“Not everyone can work from home, but everyone can benefit. If you can do your job from home, we’ll make it your right – because we’re on your side.”
According to the Allan government, more than a third of Australian workers already regularly work from home, which saves them, on average, $110 a week or $5,308 every year.
The government believes it will cut down traffic congestion, open more opportunities for people with disabilities to work, and be good for business, with people who work from home often doing 20 per cent more hours than those who are working in the office full-time.
The proposal has been rubbished by the business and professional communities alike: Australian Industry Group’s Victorian head, Tim Piper, called it “pure political theatre”, the Council of Small Business Organisations Australia said it would “steamroll” small businesses, and legal experts labelled it “unusually crude”.
Natalie Lennon, Two Sides Accounting founder, said the policy was another piece of legislation proposed by a government that had no idea what it was “actually like to run a small business”.
“We cannot just put a blanket piece of legislation in like this during a time when most businesses are struggling. Perhaps it could be altered to just be for larger businesses with $10 million plus in revenue where they have larger teams and more strict policies and procedures in place to manage WFH,” she said.
“Most small business owners struggle enough to manage a team let alone manage them from home. It also needed to be limited to senior staff. How can you train and assist a junior to learn and do their work if they are working from home?”
Research shows that WFH arrangements are now a “permanent and distinct” feature of Australian employment; however, legislating for it appears to be a bridge too far for some at this juncture.
Despite this, the Greens have unveiled a policy whereby employers would be required to positively consider reasonable requests to WFH at least two days a week, provided that WFH is not at odds with the inherent nature of a worker’s role.
Flexible work arrangements, the nation’s third-largest party argued in a statement, have enabled millions of workers, many of them women, to balance care responsibilities with paid work.
“Legislating the right to WFH, where it is sensible and doable, will not only protect women’s access to the labour market and economic equality gains, it will also increase workforce participation and ultimately boost productivity,” the party said.
Greens Leader and spokesperson on women, Larissa Waters, said: “The Prime Minister supports Victorian Labor Premier Jacinta Allen’s push for legislating WFH two days a week. Now he has a chance to work with the Greens in federal parliament to make this a reality for those Australians whose jobs it suits.”
“We know that for millions of Australians, especially women, the ability to WFH provides the flexibility they need to balance work with the other important things in their lives, including care. Many men are also looking for this flexibility, and it will help them be more involved in care responsibilities, and reduce commute time and cost for workers everywhere,” Senator Waters said.
“In the same way that the Greens worked with Labor to establish the very successful Right to Disconnect, we want to work together to establish a reasonable right to WFH that will increase productivity and flexibility in workplaces.”
“Given that most workers in Australia are covered by federal workplace law, it makes sense to create this right at the national level. We need a sensible, national approach,” she said.
Senator Barbara Pocock, who is the Australian Greens spokesperson for employment and workplace relations, added: “WFH is not possible in all roles, but where it is practical, workers should have a reasonable right to WFH for up to a couple of days a week. They should not be at risk of having that right arbitrarily removed when it is working in practical ways that boost productivity and help workers.”
“Women shouldn’t have to give up their careers to have a family. By improving WFH rights, we’re protecting women’s rights to work while caring for their families. This isn’t just a win for women, workers and families, it’s a win for our economy,” she said.
“The ability to WFH has many benefits, not only for women and carers - it also reduces the time spent on commuting, improves work-life balance, increases emotional and physical wellbeing, and boosts workforce participation and productivity.”
“The Productivity Commission has found that WFH not only reduces breaks and sick days, it can be less distracting than working on-site, which can lead to improved productivity. Similarly, OECD research shows that WFH, especially in hybrid models, can boost productivity and employee well-being, provided businesses invest in digital tools and smart management practices,” Senator Pocock continued.
For the accounting and business front, Lennon added that she had experienced and encountered multiple situations where WFH had been more of a disruption to business, rather than a benefit.
“I am an advocate for WFH, in fact, we decided to get rid of our office a few years back and have a 100 per cent remote team. This came after improved productivity during COVID, but what we have found is that it can be very difficult to hire the right people who can work from home, and we have had some very bad experiences.”
“I understand that some businesses have a policy for no worker to work from home, which can be unfair in some circumstances but where will this end?”
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