Picture a young worker in her twenties. She works in childcare, hairdressing, disability support or aged care. She likes her job, but the pay is modest and her costs keep rising.
Then a better job comes up. More money. A shorter commute. Maybe a roster that means she actually gets to see her family.
There’s just one catch.
Buried in the employment contract she signed on day one is a non‑compete clause. It says she cannot work for a rival for a period after leaving.
Would it stand up in court? She has no idea. Would her employer really sue? Probably not. But a letter from a lawyer is enough to make most people nervous.
So she stays put.
This is how small rules can have big consequences.
As Australians we like to think of ourselves as an egalitarian bunch. We prefer ‘mate’ to ‘sir’ or ‘madam’. Many sit in the front of taxis. We don’t have private stretches of beach.
But having a laid‑back culture doesn’t guarantee everyone gets the same shot.
The difference often appears when people try to move ahead. Take a better job. Move interstate. Find childcare. Buy a home.
People with money and connections can usually get around barriers. They can hire an accountant or lawyer, take an afternoon off work, wait 6 months for an approval or ask a well‑connected friend who knows how the system works.
For someone living from one pay packet to the next, the same obstacle can stop them cold.
That is one reason for the federal government move to ban non‑compete clauses for most workers.
Businesses will still be able to protect genuine confidential information and client relationships. But ordinary workers should be able to take a better job without worrying that an old contract will come back to bite them.
Another challenge is occupational licencing. Australia is one country, yet a tradie who crosses a state border can still discover that their licence does not travel as easily as they do.
That can mean extra forms, fees, applications and lost work.
If you have plenty of money in the bank, that is an annoyance. If you are trying to pick up a job across the border to cover the mortgage, it is money you cannot afford to lose.
Through National Competition Policy, the federal government is working with states and territories to make it easier for qualified Australians to work wherever the jobs are, including by improving occupational licensing and mutual recognition.
Childcare is another area where bad rules can make life harder. Until this year, access to subsidised care depended heavily on an activity test linked to parents’ work, study or training.
That created a strange result. Parents with casual or irregular work could have the greatest need for help, yet find it hardest to qualify for enough subsidised care.
The federal government has replaced that activity test with the 3 Day Guarantee. Families eligible for the Child Care Subsidy can now get at least 3 days of subsidised care each week.
It gives children more access to early learning and gives parents the ability to take another shift or increase their hours.
Getting the rules right especially matters when it comes to housing. Of course we need rules around building. Homes should be safe and well‑insulated. Neighbourhoods should work. Environmental protections help ensure we’re not sacrificing all the street trees.
But slow approvals, duplicated processes and overly restrictive planning rules have a price too.
For a renter hoping to buy, another delay means another year paying rent. Another year trying to build a deposit while house prices move. Another auction where the winning bidder turns up with help from the bank of mum and dad.
Money buys patience. If you have enough of it, a 6‑month delay is frustrating. If you do not, it can change the course of your life.
The government knows that the wrong rules can create friction that makes life harder than it should be. A rule can look perfectly reasonable to the person writing it in an office and very different to the person trying to comply after a 10‑hour shift.
That’s why the federal government is getting rid of some of these frictions. It’s moving to scrap non‑compete clauses for most workers, making it easier for qualified Australians to work across state borders, guaranteeing 3 days of subsidised childcare, and working with the states to get more homes built.
Taken together, these reforms give people more room to move. It gives people freedom to take a better job, to earn a higher wage, for parents to work the hours that suit them, and for builders to build more homes.
Getting rid of unnecessary frictions is good for everyone, but it matters most for people doing it tough. Because the fair go is about ensuring the rules give people a decent shot.
