LIFE is already tough for Mallee businesses – especially our small businesses.
This is now being compounded by the Albanese Labor government’s complex, costly and confusing new industrial relations reforms.
Their “Closing Loopholes” Bill is nothing but a thank-you gift for Labor’s union paymasters at the expense of Australian businesses.
Businesses in Mallee are deeply concerned about what it will mean for them.
It will severely disrupt the labour hire industry which provides valuable workforce for farmers – who will now be forced to pay labour hire workers the same as their long-term direct workers.
This won’t result in everyone getting the same pay, it will mean less people will be employed and risks a downturn in productivity.
Construction companies in Mallee fear these laws will make it harder for them to keep their employees. If they can’t hire people, houses will not be built and the dire shortage will intensify.
One builder told me: “Good workers are hard to find. If you have one, you pay them more to keep them. We don’t need government controlling everything. Business can work it out themselves.”
The trucking industry tell me the IR changes are effectively reviving the Gillard government’s failed Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal with a new body within the Fair Work Commission.
I spoke to a Mallee trucking business who said this will spell the end of owner-drivers being able to competitively tender their services and compete for work.
It isn’t just businesses who will be impacted.
Under the reforms the definition of casual employee will be changed to prohibit anyone from being engaged as a casual if they work regular hours. Any one of 15 criteria needs to be assessed to determine if an employee is actually a casual worker and any breach risks a fine or imprisonment.
Many casual employees want to work that way for their own reasons – such as pay and flexibility.
These reforms effectively discourage businesses from using casual workers.
All these changes do is hurt Australian business, and this is why I will not support them.
