Victoria Police union demand compensation over WFH exclusion, claim mandatory policy could ‘undermine recruitment’
The Victoria Police Union has issued a serious warning about proposed mandatory work-from-home policies, demanding that officers deprived of the opportunity to work remotely be given “compensation” if the proposal is accepted.
The Police Association of Victoria (TPAV) impassioned investigative submission claims the proposed laws will make other professions more attractive because not all police positions, defined as high-stress and high-responsibility jobs, will provide the right to work from home.
TPAV secretary Wayne Gatt said in the union’s presentation: “The natural irony is that some of the workforce who would undoubtedly benefit most from these improvements to work-life balance will in practice be excluded from the benefits the proposed legislation aims to deliver.”
“Police officers are among those who cannot benefit from these benefits.”
If successful, the Fair Work Amendment 2025 (Right to Work from Home) Bill proposed by the Greens would make two days of remote working mandatory in Victoria.
It is currently the subject of a Senate investigation.
The union’s submission calls on parliament to recognize the reality of Victorian police, as well as firefighters, police, paramedics and nurses, who are “similarly excluded from the benefits of remote working”.
“The legislation will introduce a system in which essential workers are left behind,” the presentation said.
If the proposal is accepted, it is recommended that workers who cannot work from home be “appropriately compensated”.
“At the rank of Senior Police Officer this would be equivalent to traveling approximately 60 minutes a day, five days a week, at a cost of $291 a week or $15,175 a year. Under the proposed new legislation, these burdens are disproportionately carried by police officers,” the application states.
The Council of Small Business Organizations of Australia (COSBOA) similarly rejected the proposed bill, claiming it “duplicates and distorts existing flexible working rights in the Fair Work Act”.
Chairman Mathew Addison claimed this created new legal and compliance risks for small businesses and undermined practical, workplace-level flexibility without clear evidence of need or proportionality.
But Senator Barbara Pocock, the federal Greens’ employment and workplace relations spokeswoman, said working from home was a “reasonable right” as long as it was practicable.
“The ability to work from home has many benefits, not only for women and caregivers, but also as it reduces time spent commuting, improves work-life balance, increases emotional and physical well-being, and increases workforce participation and productivity,” she said in a statement.
“The Productivity Commission found that working from home not only reduces breaks and days off, but can also be less distracting than working on site, leading to increased productivity.
“Working from home is not possible in all positions, but where practical, workers should have a reasonable right to work from home for up to a few days per week.”
