Disclosure Statement: Durand Financial Services Pty Ltd and its advisers are authorised representatives of Fortnum Private Wealth Ltd ABN 54 139 889 535 AFSL 357306. General Advice Warning: The information contained within this website does not consider your personal circumstances and is of a general nature only. You should not act on it without first obtaining professional financial advice specific to your circumstances.
Businesses are asking to be kept in mind as the federal government mulls a shake-up of employment laws.
The âsame job, same payâ legislation will plug a gap that allows businesses to negotiate an agreement with workers, then pay labour hire a different rate.
But draft legislation has not been publicly released and Employment Minister Tony Burke has hit back at critics saying they couldnât seriously come out against the reforms when they havenât seen the detail.
Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive Andrew McKellar said businesses had been actively engaged with the government but still needed to understand the full impact of the changes.
âOf course, we donât expect to reach an agreement on every point, but it is important that the government does heed the practical concerns of the impact of its policies,â he told AAP in a statement.
âIt will be critical to ensure that the parliament has every opportunity to comprehensively review the governmentâs legislation and to understand the impacts on job creation and small business.â
Independent senator David Pocock, whose vote the government needs alongside the Greens for the bill to pass, said it was âa really strange way to make big changes where youâre essentially hearing concerns but you donât actually know any of the detailâ.
âWith legislation, youâve got to be looking at the actual detail, not the big principles, because thatâs where the issues are,â he said in Canberra on Monday.
The ACT senator held a near 100-person strong business roundtable to consult on the reforms.
He said there were concerns about the blanket approach the legislation would take across all sectors instead of targeting problem areas.
A spokesman for Mr Burke said the government continued to undertake âexhaustive consultationsâ with business groups and unions to strike the right balance and avoid unintended consequences.
He said the legislation would be introduced âin the normal wayâ and parliamentarians would have plenty of time for scrutiny.
âThe government is determined to close the loopholes that undermine workersâ wages,â he said.
âOur upcoming changes will give casual and gig workers a better deal, criminalise wage theft and stop the exploitation of labour hire workers.â
Business groups have raised concerns the legislation would undercut experience by forcing employers to pay someone with decades in the sector the same as the new kid on the block.
Mr Burke has rubbished the claim.
Â
Dominic Giannini
(Australian Associated Press)