The Closing Loopholes legislation is causing concern for the Business Council of Australia (BCA). They want the government to make the big changes that the crossbench has asked for so that the law doesn’t hurt companies and workers too much.
Furthermore, the government’s decision to include the Right to Disconnect addition in their report without consulting them infuriated Bran Black, CEO of the BCA. According to Black, there should have been more thorough communication and information before the change was implemented. Moreover, he was concerned that this week the parliament could hurry it through.
“We are not being consulted or given any information about the implications of the government’s attempt to ram through the Right to Disconnect amendment this week,” he said, expressing his disgust. We worry that this week the parliament will force it through.”
Black asked the government to wait for the feedback process to finish before making any changes to the Fair Work Act. He did this by bringing up the Fair Work Commission’s recent discussion paper on the Right to Disconnect.
In addition, Black underlined that companies would find it more difficult to hire more workers, pay them more, and hire more workers if the Closing Loophole regulations remained in place.
He also said, “This legislation will make things more expensive for businesses and lead to fewer jobs and opportunities. We welcome efforts by the opposition and the crossbench to weaken the worst parts of the bill.”
Even though they are still against the bill, Black made it clear that the BCA will keep working with the government, the opposition, and cross-bench senators to make big changes. The potential effects of the proposed reforms on Australia’s 2.7 million casual workers have drawn criticism. There is a concern that they may have reduced freedom, fewer casual jobs, and fewer opportunities to earn the greater take-home pay associated with casual labour.
