The bill’s reach will not stop at the border. For national employers, a Victorian employee’s statutory entitlement will quickly become a reference point for employees in other states.

Eight of the country’s largest business lobby groups have joined forces in an eleventh-hour attempt to have Victorian Labor’s plans scrapped, while the premier holds strong.

The Victorian government will shed 100,000 square metres of CBD office space as remote work deepens Melbourne’s vacancy crisis and fuels a business backlash.