The Business Council has used its submission to the Senate, Education and Employment Legislation Committee to detail the serious flaws in the Government’s proposed workplace relations changes and reiterate its call for the Bill not to proceed and for the Government to go back to the drawing board.
Business Council chief executive Bran Black said: “We want a workplace relations system that ensures Australians have safe, high-paying, sustainable jobs that reward people for their hard work, skills and experience. This Bill represents the wrong step for Australia at the wrong time.
“The Fair Work Legislation Amendment (Closing Loopholes) Bill 2023 will create uncertainty that will add to the cost of living at a time Australians can least afford it and undermine the job security of the people it purports to protect.
“Our submission has identified serious flaws with the Bill’s intent, design, implementation and costings. These changes will impact every sector of the Australian economy, including every business that employs a casual or contract worker.
“As we detail in our submission, the Bill will:
- make the law less certain, and increase workplace complexity and scope for disputation;
- reduce productivity, competitiveness and job security, and thereby make Australia a less desirable place to do business;
- reduce the take home pay for workers and restrict their capacity to choose their own employment arrangements; and
- further increase the cost of living pressures.
“No reliable evidence has been tabled by Government that the measures proposed will achieve the Government’s own objectives, as set out in its Employment White Paper, or that the supposed loopholes the Bill is said to close even exist.
“Crucially, the Business Council strongly supports the proposal of Senators Jacqui Lambie and David Pocock to bring forward consideration of four measures that should never have been packaged up with the Government’s workplace relations omnibus Bill.”
You can read our full submission here.
