August 27, 2025 | 04:52 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Millions of Australians now have the legal right to ignore work-related calls and messages outside of office hours, following the enforcement of the country’s new Right to Disconnect Law.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the policy on his Instagram account, @albomp, highlighting its significance for workers’ personal lives.
“Enjoy your leisure time this weekend. And starting next week, more workers in Australia will have the right to disconnect,” Albanese wrote on Friday, August 22, 2025.
What Australia’s Right to Disconnect Law Covers
According to the Fair Work Commission (FWC), the law does not ban employers from contacting staff outside working hours, but it protects employees from being penalized if they choose not to respond—unless their refusal is deemed unreasonable.
The rule applies to communication from supervisors as well as other work-related parties. By passing the law, Australia joins a growing number of countries seeking to safeguard workers’ personal time from work intrusions.
“It's really about trying to bring back some work-life balance and make sure that people aren't racking up hours of unpaid overtime for checking emails and responding to things at a time when they're not being paid,” said Employment and Industrial Relations Minister Senator Murray Watt, as quoted by NPR.
When Refusal Is “Unreasonable”
The law outlines certain situations in which ignoring calls or messages may not be reasonable. These include the nature of the employee’s role, personal circumstances such as caregiving responsibilities, the purpose of the contact, and the level of disruption caused.
In emergencies, employees may still be expected to respond. “But if it's a run-of-the-mill thing … then they should wait till the next work day, so that people can actually enjoy their private lives, enjoy time with their family and their friends, play sport or whatever they want to do after hours, without feeling like they're chained to the desk at a time when they're not actually being paid, because that's just not fair.,” Watt explained.
Disputes should first be resolved between employers and employees directly. If that fails, workers can apply to the FWC for a “stop order” or other legal remedies.
Addressing Work-Life Imbalance
The law was introduced to address the growing erosion of work-life balance in Australia. A 2022 survey by the Centre for Future Work at the Australia Institute found that seven out of 10 Australians regularly worked outside official hours, with many reporting fatigue, stress, and anxiety.
By 2023, the institute estimated that workers logged an average of 281 hours of unpaid overtime each year, costing them nearly $7,500 annually in lost wages.
The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) welcomed the law, calling it a “victory for workers’ cost of living,” especially for those in education, public service, and administration.
“More money in your pocket, more time with your loved ones and more freedom to live your life – that’s what the right to disconnect is all abou,” said ACTU President Michele O’Neil.
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