Arabic version: فيكتوريا تؤجل مشروع قانون العمل من المنزل إلى ما بعد الانتخابات

According to ABC News, Victoria’s upper house has referred Premier Ben Carroll’s proposed work-from-home laws to a parliamentary committee after a motion to defer the bill passed 18 votes to 17. The decision makes it unlikely the legislation will be debated before the November state election.

The deferral motion was brought by Shooters, Fishers and Farmers MP Jeff Bourman. He said employer associations were concerned that the proposal could create extra burdens, bureaucracy, time and effort for businesses. Bourman said the government could call an extra sitting date and that the motion was not intended to block the bill.

After a months-long absence, Labor MP-turned-independent Adem Somyurek returned to parliament and voted for the referral. Carroll criticised Opposition Leader Jess Wilson after the vote, describing what had happened as “anti-family” and “anti-worker”. He indicated he would not recall parliament for another sitting week, saying he had already added one week to the parliamentary sitting.

The committee will assess the bill’s economic impact on the state. Business groups welcomed the outcome. Property Council Victoria executive director Cath Evans said parliament had made the right call by sending the legislation to a committee to examine its operation, implications and legal validity. Business Council of Australia chief executive Bran Black urged Carroll to drop the proposal as an election pledge.

Victorian Greens leader Ellen Sandell called for parliament to be recalled so the laws could pass before the election. The policy was announced by then-premier Jacinta Allan at the ALP state conference in 2025 and was later questioned by legal experts and opposed by the business sector. Carroll subsequently delayed its commencement by nearly a year while the government consulted business groups.