Australia’s Right To Disconnect Law

Australias right to disconnect law arrived in two stages, which is why some employers spent a year believing it did not affect them.

Employees of non-small business employers came under the provisions first. For small business employers and their employees, the provisions apply from 26 August 2025.

Both dates have now passed, so the staged start is only relevant to conduct that happened during the gap.

The practical point for a small business is that nothing was grandfathered. Long-standing habits about after-hours messaging, built up over years when no obligation existed, are now measured against the same reasonableness test as everyone else’s.

A small business employer generally means one with fewer than 15 employees, counted in a particular way, so check where you sit if you are close to the line.

The Fair Work Ombudsman publishes the commencement detail. This is general information rather than legal advice, and obligations vary by state and territory.

See Sentrient’s right to disconnect webinar and HR policy templates.