Labor’s Fair Work Legislation threatens small to medium sized businesses across the electorate, Federal Member for Mallee Anne Webster says.
Dr Webster said the Fair Work Legislation Amendment (Secure Jobs, Better Pay) Bill 2022 imposes the most radical changes on workers in decades and further empowers unions into workplaces they
previously had no control over.

“Since 2007 the unions in this country have donated $100 million to the Australian Labor Party, and for them these changes will be worth every penny,” Dr Webster said.
“The Albanese Government is handing Australian small and medium family businesses to the unions – they are feeding the beast.”
Dr Webster said the overwhelming number of issues in Labor’s Bill relate to “multi-employer bargaining”.
Labor’s Bill expands the “single-interest stream” by allowing the Fair Work Commission to authorise workers with “common interests” to bargain together, where it is in the public interest for them to
do so.

“Being coerced into bargaining based on some vague ‘common interest’ test, which could simply be a small flower retailer in the same complex as Target, is fundamentally unfair,” Dr Webster said.
“It is coercion. It means that once an employer becomes part of a multi-employer agreement, it can longer pursue a single enterprise bargain.
“This Bill represents a very clear and deliberate shift by the Albanese Government away from bargaining at the enterprise level towards industry level. Something the unions have been long
campaigning for.”

Dr Webster said both the Coalition and the ALP want higher wages in Australia but there was no evidence this legislation would deliver on that.
“Fundamentally, increasing productivity is how wages grow. Multi-employer bargaining risks jobs and business sustainability’.

“In fact, based on all of the comments from the heads of business groups, there is no such confidence,” she said.

“Australian Industry Group Chief Executive Innes Willox called the Bill “fatally flawed”, even after a multitude of amendments.

“Business Council of Australia chief Jennifer Westacott said that even with Workplace Relations Minister Tony Burke’s concessions, critical industries could be swept up in disruption.

“And Australian Resources and Energy Employer Association CEO Steve Knott said the legislation was purely about ’union power, union revenue and ALP donations’.”

Dr Webster said the issue came down to what should be fundamentals of society.

“Governments do not create jobs – businesses and employers do. Governments put in place frameworks that business and employers are able to lever off to prosper, grow and create more jobs for Australians,” Dr Webster said.

“This should be the essence of Fair Work Legislation.”