Thursday, 28 August 2025

SME Red tape & union graft guaranteed as confused Labor ram hot mess bill through Senate

The Labor Government has rammed its poorly drafted Fair Work Amendment (Protecting Penalty and Overtime Rates) Bill 2025 through the Senate this morning despite confusion within Ministers themselves about its retrospective impact.

When the Bill was first introduced Minister Rishworth said it had no retrospective impact.

The Minister then had to move amendments in the House after realising this was false, contradicting her earlier reassurances.

Yesterday in the Senate, Minister Watt let slip there was a possibility existing Awards could be impacted. This morning Minister Watt was forced into making a clarifying statement to the Senate after realising he had said the quiet bit out loud, contradicting his remarks yesterday.

“Ministers in both Houses have now contradicted each other and themselves, which is why no one in small business has faith in this Bill or its claimed impact,” said Shadow Minister for Small Business, Industrial Relations and Employment, Tim Wilson, today.

“The Coalition supports penalty rates, and the Government created a phantom threat to justify their Don Quixote crusade to save them even if it cost workers higher wages. This Bill was about addressing one risk: unions losing their chance to tax their take.

“The Government’s Bill resulted from the retail industry applying to the Fair Work Commission to pay workers a 35 per cent higher base rate and remove needless complexity requiring corner stores to have an HR, tax, legal and industrial relations department.

“Small businesses still don’t know how these rushed laws will impact them. The Minister has consistently refused to answer how many small businesses will be impacted - because she does not know, because she has not done the work.

“Small business is drowning in a sea of rising costs and red tape. A responsible Government would throw them a buoy to help them swim, instead Minister Rishworth has handed the buoy to her union mates lounging on the sun deck.

“The Albanese Government only has one priority - to ensure union muscle collects its cut from every worker’s wage, government project and superannuation balances. Australians are just ATMs for their cartel behaviour.

“It’s wholly expected Labor would help the unions, but I never thought I’d see them actively fight to lower worker’s wages to protect their graft.”

ENDS