Australia’s New Right to Disconnect Law Allow Workers to Ignore After-Hours Calls and Emails

Author: Dian Kencana
August 27, 2024

Illustration of a person working on his desk. (Pixabay)

SEAToday.com, Sydney - Australia's new 'right to disconnect' law went into effect on Monday (8/26), giving employees the legal right to ignore contact from the employers outside the working hours.

The law allows Australian workers to ignore emails and phone calls from bosses outside of their working hours, unless doing so is deemed “unreasonable”. This new law is expected to significantly reduce the amount of unpaid work done by Australians. The Workplace Relation Minister also said it ensured the law to keep pace with technology.

“What’s not acceptable is for people to be taking constant calls or constant emails with an expectation that they’re going to be monitoring and responding, when they’re not getting paid to do it,” said Minister Murray Watt.

Australian PM Anthony Albanese echoed this sentiment, saying “we want to make sure that just as people don't get paid 24 hours a day, they don't have to work for 24 hours a day.”

Workplaces that breach the rules, which will be enforced by the country’s Fair Work Commission tribunal, face fines of up to 93,900 Australian dollars ($63,805)

The Australian Council of Trade Unions president, Michele O’Neil, says the laws were a huge win for workers during a cost-of-living crisis.

“More money in your pocket, more time with your loved ones and more freedom to live your life,” she said.

The government’s reforms also improve rights for gig workers and provisions for casual employees to transition into permanent employment.

But the Business Council of Australia chief executive, Bran Black, said it puts Australia’s competitiveness at risk.

“At a time when productivity has flatlined and insolvencies are increasing, we can’t risk making it harder to do business with added red tape,” he said.

Australia is not the first country to introduce a right to disconnect from work.

In 2017, France introduced legislation to protect workers from being punished for not replying to messages outside of work hours, while Germany, Italy and Canada have adopted similar measures.