Assuming a need for basic document printing every now and then, what's the least-crap option?

This is taken as of 2021-06-15, and they're all multifunction print-scan-copy devices.

Brother Colour Laser MFC-L3750CDW

$400 from Officeworks, apparently a decent all-rounder, and you get the benefits and cost of it being a laser printer (or close enough, technically it uses LED instead of a laser).

Prints A4 paper, limited duplexing for print or scanning compared to the Epsons.

https://www.officeworks.com.au/shop/officeworks/p/brother-wireless-colour-laser-mfc-printer-mfc-l3750cdw-brmfcl3750

Epson Workforce Pro WF-4830

$200 from Officeworks, it's an inkjet device. It's smaller brother is the 3820 and maybe not worth it, it's a smaller control screen, slower speeds, and smaller paper trays for $60 less.

Prints A4 paper, has individual colour tanks, not sure if there are generic options.

https://www.officeworks.com.au/shop/officeworks/p/epson-workforce-pro-printer-black-wf-4830-epwf4830

Epson Workforce WF-7830

$300 from Officeworks, it's an inkjet device. It's bigger brother is the 7840 and not really worth it, you get a bigger control screen for $80 more.

Prints A3 paper, has individual colour tanks, not sure if there are generic options.

https://www.officeworks.com.au/shop/officeworks/p/epson-workforce-multifunction-a3-printer-black-wf-7830-epwf7830

Choosing between Epsons

Of the two options above, the differences can be summarised as:

They use the same inks, $107 for a full set or $30 for a single tank.