FAIR WORK LEGISLATION AMENDMENT (CLOSING LOOPHOLES) BILL 2023 – REFERRED TO SENATE INQUIRY
TTIA provided Members on 5 September with a brief summary of the changes sought by the Albanese federal government when it introduced its “Closing Loopholes” Bill to parliament on Monday 4 September 2023. Almost immediately it was met with criticism and immediate pushback by many in the community as extreme and unnecessary.
The proposed legislation contained significant changes to the Fair Work Act that many say was too broad, and heavy-handed, and created yet more layers of red tape at a time when the economy least needed it.
Consequently, a Senate Inquiry into the bill was launched, and on Thursday 7 September 2023, opposition employment spokeswoman, Michaelia Cash, was successful in her motion to delay the Inquiry’s reporting date from late October to early February 2024.
TTIA and other major industry groups have welcomed the delay, arguing more time was needed to work through the hundreds of pages of legislation that would engulf businesses in more complex regulation.
Therefore, at this stage, we will hold back on going through further forensic detail of the Bill until the Inquiry delivers its findings in February 2024. Members will be informed in a Member Alert of any changes that are passed by parliament after that time and TTIA will deal with the changes in depth at our yearly Member briefings in July/August next year.