Michael Keenan (Stirling, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Hansard source

I seek leave to move the following motion:

That:

(1)

the Government’s:

(a)

award modernisation process has become a ticking time bomb for Australian small business who are going to find it harder to create jobs and provide opportunities under Labor’s changes; and

(b)

proposals stand condemned for failing to recognise and understand the difficult conditions already being faced by small business who cannot afford to face massive cost increases and a one size fits all approach being advocated by the Government;

(2)

the Government:

(a)

must meet with the affected groups who are increasingly worried as to what these changes might mean for their ability to keep their small business open, including representatives from the horticulture, pharmacy, aged care, fast food and hospitality industries;

(b)

recognise that they are now trying to fix a problem of their own making and that this problem could have been fixed if they had accepted sensible Coalition amendments to their Fair Work legislation that alleviated these problems for small business; and

(c)

recognise that if they don’t change course they will be condemning many small businesses to closure, they will increase costs for consumers and they will be throwing tens of thousands of Australians out of work; and

(3)

the Government suspend this bungled process until they can find a way to fulfil their election commitment to not disadvantage employers or employees.

This process has been bungled right from day 1—

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