The Albanese Government’s Right to Disconnect law has scored a nod in the Macquarie Dictionary’s 2024 Word of the Year, re-affirming the importance of helping Australians to improve their work-life balance.
The Macquarie Dictionary committee has awarded ‘Right to Disconnect’ an honorary mention in their list of this year’s top new words to enter the dictionary.
The Macquarie Dictionary notes Right to Disconnect: noun a law which grants employees the right to not work or be contacted about work during non-work hours. Also, RTD.
‘The lines between work and our private lives have become blurred, especially with the growth in working from home during and after COVID. Making the right to disconnect a federal legal reality was a recognition of this.’
The Albanese Government introduced the Right to Disconnect in August for large and medium-sized businesses, to ensure that unless workers are being paid, they are not expected to monitor, read or respond to contact unless it would be unreasonable not to do so.
Employees of small businesses will be eligible from August 2025.
Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations Murray Watt said the recognition showed how strongly Australians felt about their right to unplug at the end of the day.
“Over the past few years, technology has rapidly changed how accessible people are to their bosses and workplaces outside of working hours. That change has unfortunately led to employees increasingly doing more unpaid overtime, and feeling burned out.
“As the festive season approaches, our Government is doing everything we can to look after workers and making sure Australians can relax outside of work.
“We’ve had really positive feedback from employees and employers alike, who recognise that regular unpaid overtime shouldn’t be the norm.”
But despite this week’s foray into popular culture, the Right to Disconnect is already under threat from Peter Dutton and the Coalition, who have promised to overturn Right to Disconnect (along with casuals reforms and Same Job, Same Pay) as part of a “targeted package of repeals” if they win government.
Peter Dutton’s promises to cut pay and conditions mean Australians would work longer for less.
