AMA VICDOC_Spring 2026_09.09.2026 - Flipbook - Page 46
K E N N E DY S
L AW
/
PA R T N E R
WORKING FROM HOME:
what Victoria's reform push
means for medical practices
Flexible working requests are becoming
harder to knock back with a standard
policy. Following the Fair Work
Commission's decision in Chandler v
Westpac Banking Corporation [2025]
FWC 3115, employers can no longer point
to a generic hybrid-working policy as a
reason for refusal – each request must
be assessed against the actual role and
circumstances of the person making it.
Victoria had also been moving to introduce
a standalone right to work from home,
but since the change of Premier from
Jacinta Allan to Ben Carroll in late July
2026, that Bill's future is uncertain.
For GP practices, medical centres and
hospital-based services, this combination
of federal and possible state reform has
practical implications, from telehealth-only
clinic days to reception rostering.
BY AMAYA HETTIGE, SPECIAL COUNSEL,
EMPLOYMENT AND WORKPL ACE REL ATIONS, KENNEDYS
46
