Victoria's WFH guarantee ‘just can't happen': legal experts
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan announced her government would legislate a right for public and private sector employees to work from home for at least two days a week ahead of the November 2026 state election and is considering using state anti-discrimination laws to do so.
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7NEWS
25 minutes ago
- 7NEWS
A new law could add $100,000 to your home's value - here's how
Victorians are on the cusp of becoming the first in Australia to secure a legal entitlement to work from home, with Premier Jacinta Allan planning legislation that guarantees at least two days of remote work per week for eligible employees. While intended to boost inclusion and reduce commuting, some property analysts say the law could suddenly transform home offices from 'nice to have' to 'must have' for property buyers. According to Cotality (formerly CoreLogic), Melbourne's median house price was around $940,000 in May 2025, having edged upward by 0.5 percent that month and 1.2 percent over the quarter, although still about 1.0 to 1.2 per cent below its March 2022 peak. With tighter listings and heightened buyer demand, lower value homes showed the strongest movement in recent months. While Cotality does not publish a specific breakout by home office feature, analysis drawing on industry research suggests that homes with dedicated office spaces tend to attract an 8-10 percent resale premium compared to similar properties without. In Melbourne suburbs where median prices sit between $900,000 and $1 million, this translates into an extra $72,000 to $100,000 in value. "Across Melbourne, we consistently see that a well designed study can add around 10 per cent to a property's sale price," says David Sciola from Jellis Craig Stonnington. "In suburbs where median prices are higher, that extra 10 per cent translates into a significant uplift for what is often a relatively small space." However Katie Smith Director of Williams Real Estate - Williamstown and Newport doesn't see a spike in home prices happening because of the new work from home legislation. "I don't think things will change for property values, because working from home really became a bit of a norm during COVID. "We saw a rise in people converting garages, spare rooms and even corners of a room into study spaces or home offices. I don't think they've converted them back, so it's just a 'given' there will be a study space in most Melbourne homes." Tim Lawless, Head of Research at Cotality agrees. "It's fair to say remote working is a lot more popular now than it was pre-2020." "Demand for functional and separate working spaces within a home is likely to remain strong, even without work from home laws being enshrined in Victoria." "Beyond the premium for a home office, anecdotally, buyers are also going to be seeking out areas with fast and reliable internet speeds as well." Higher end properties featuring garden offices or separate pods may command uplifts of up to 30 percent in buyer perception and pricing. Smith disagrees and feels that the additional pods can sometimes be a deterring factor. "They normally cost around $20K to drop into a backyard but I've had buyers turned off because it takes up space where there could have been a trampoline or even a pool." In Prahran, where according to the median price for a two bedroom home sits at $1,214,000, a recent listing at 36 Alfred St with a self contained study is guiding between $1.35 million and $1.45 million. That places it roughly 11 to 19 per cent above the suburb's median, equating to an additional $136,000 to $236,000 in value. Sciola believes the premium reflects the growing appeal of dedicated work from home spaces, with the property's built in desk, and modern fittings offers buyers an immediate, ready to use office. He adds: "Buyers love the flexibility, they can keep it as a dedicated home office or easily convert it into a third bedroom or nursery." "If you're talking about single fronted period homes, the small two bedrooms have less demand than a 3 bedroom. "As soon as you have a 2 bedroom with work from home office, or even a study nook - you immediately jump into the next price range." Similarly sized and located, 51 Henry Street, Prahra n lacks a formal workspace and has a sale guide price of $1,100,000 - $1,200,000 closer to median value of the area, potentially reflecting reduced appeal to hybrid professionals. Lawless added: "Additional amenity will almost always add value to a home, be it an outdoor entertaining area, media room, rumpus or home office." "Markets that offer up a blend of commutability for hybrid works and liveability are likely to be in the sweet spot for housing demand, however these areas have already seen a surge in values since the onset of the pandemic and rise in popularity of remote working. " With Cotality showing renewed value growth in Melbourne and tightening supply levels, the combination of legislative change and evolving buyer preferences could make the humble home office continue to be another premium driver in markets moving forward.
Perth Now
12 hours ago
- Perth Now
Calls for revamped charge to hit drivers
The federal body tasked with boosting Australian living standards has reissued calls for a national road user charge to help fund major infrastructure projects, which would also force drivers of electric vehicles to contribute to road maintenance. As it stands, EV drivers are not subject to the 51.6 cents per litre fuel excise drivers ultimately pay when refuelling at the bowser. The call to arms was detailed in the Productivity Commission's (PC) analysis of the National Competition Policy – the fourth of five reports handed to Jim Chalmers ahead of the Economic Reform Roundtable later this month. This follows long-term calls by the PC to enact a road user charges on all vehicle types, with a current charge only applied to heavy vehicles through a diesel excise. 'Road infrastructure should be funded through user charges (prices) that reflect the efficient cost of providing and maintaining that infrastructure,' the report said. 'By giving drivers a clear signal about the cost of infrastructure, they would have an incentive to use it more efficiently. 'Moreover, there will be a signal to infrastructure providers where changes in road capacity are warranted.' The Productivity Commission urged the federal government to consider national reform to funding roads infrastructure, which includes the use of a road user tax on all vehicles. NewsWire/ Tertius Pickard Credit: News Corp Australia It said national reform should be prioritised following the High Court challenge which overruled the Victorian government's attempt to put in place a 2 cents a kilometre on EV drivers in 2023. The PC also noted that the 'growth in use of electric vehicles' should be 'added impetus' for priority reform, with the commission set to give its final report to the Treasurer in late October. 'The decision of the High Court rules out state-based distance road user charges and means governments need to consider a national approach to road funding,' it said. 'This opens the opportunity to design a system that is less fragmented and better reflects the costs of providing and using road infrastructure.' In an earlier report released this week, the PC urged Labor to scrap subsidies on EVs, like the fringe benefits tax exemption on electric cars and plug-in hybrids. Instead, it said the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard should be the 'main tool for promoting clean vehicles'. Treasurer Jim Chalmers has previously doubted issuing a road user charge for EVs, but flagged tax settings may have to change as EV take-up increases. NewsWire/ Martin Ollman Credit: News Corp Australia Previously Mr Chalmers has said the government has no immediate plans to tax EV users, however he said discussions with the sector and states had been ongoing. 'Over time, the use of fossil fuels in our car fleets will come down, and EV use will go up,' he told reporters in July. 'We've seen that, and we're making a contribution to that with our policies and that will have implications for the tax base.' However, despite lags at a federal level, the NSW state government has flagged a distance-based charge for eligible EVs set to come into place from July 1, 2027, or when EVs make up 30 per cent of all new vehicle sales. The PC's analysis of competition policy also found regulating Australian standards with overseas standards could boost GDP by up to 0.2 per cent a year – a nominal increase between $1.9bn to $3.8bn. Occupational licensing reform, which would make it easier for workers to move interstate, was noted as a competition-boosting change which would result in the biggest affect on the economy, which could deliver between a $5bn to $10bn boost to GDP. This comes after the government flagged changes to design a national scheme for people in electrical trades in the March federal budget.
ABC News
14 hours ago
- ABC News
Could working from home be legislated?
There's been angry debate in Victoria this week over Premier Jacinta Allan's plan to legislate the right to work from home. The Premier says it's all about guaranteeing a better work-life balance for Victorian workers, but the backlash from business has been severe. Michael Rowland reports.
