In a ruling that’s sent shockwaves through the corporate corridors and left boardrooms trembling, Australian employers are now staring down the barrel of a multi-million-dollar reckoning. Landmark judgments handed down on April 8, 2025, have expanded the reach of portable long service leave beyond the dusty boots of the building industry, and it’s fair to say the suits in the C-suite didn’t see this one coming. Buckle up, because the gravy train just hit a judicial wall, and it’s going to cost someone dearly—spoiler alert: it’s not the workers.

For those who’ve been too busy sipping lattes in corner offices to notice, portable long service leave is the kind of entitlement that lets employees carry their accrued leave between jobs within the same industry. It’s been a perk for tradies and hard hats for years, a nod to the itinerant nature of construction work. But now, the courts have decided it’s time to spread the love—or at least the liability—far wider. Think cleaners, security guards, community service workers, and maybe even that overworked barista at your local haunt. The upshot? Bosses could be on the hook for back payments stretching back years, and the bill’s looking uglier than a tax audit on a Friday afternoon.

David Marin-Guzman, the industrious scribe over at the Australian Financial Review, broke the story with the kind of detail that makes you wonder if he’s got a mole in every HR department from Sydney to Perth. The rulings, he reports, stem from a series of test cases that have punched holes in the old assumption that portable leave was a niche privilege. Instead, the judiciary has waved its gavel and declared it’s open season on employers who’ve been playing fast and loose with their obligations. The construction sector’s long had its scheme, funded by a levy on employers, but this expansion into other industries has left businesses scrambling to figure out who’s next in the firing line.

Cue the predictable wailing from the business lobby. The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry is already clutching its pearls, warning of “catastrophic” impacts on small businesses. You can almost hear the violins as they lament the burden on poor, beleaguered employers just trying to keep the lights on. Forgive me if I don’t sob into my pinot noir—last I checked, these are the same folks who’ve spent years preaching “flexibility” while pocketing record profits. Now that the tables have turned, they’re crying foul like it’s the end of capitalism as we know it. Pull the other one, mates.

The real sting here is the retrospectivity. Employers aren’t just facing a tweak to future payrolls; they’re being told to cough up for entitlements that should’ve been accruing since God knows when. Estimates are hazy—because of course they are—but we’re talking millions, possibly billions, depending on how many industries get swept up in this net. The government’s response? A shrug and a promise to “consult” with stakeholders, which is code for kicking the can down the road while the lawyers sharpen their pencils.

For workers, it’s a rare win in an era where the scales have tilted hard against them. Portable leave could mean security for those bouncing between gigs in precarious sectors—cleaners who’ve scrubbed the same office for a decade, only to switch employers when the contract flips, might finally get their due. But don’t pop the champagne just yet; the devil’s in the enforcement, and you can bet the boss class will fight tooth and nail to wriggle out of this one.

So, here we are: a judicial curveball that’s got employers sweating and workers dreaming of a fatter pay packet. The only certainty? The bill’s coming, and it’s going to be a whopper. Better start checking those balance sheets, lads—your long lunch might just have to wait.