Fair Work Amendment (Protecting Penalty and Overtime Rates) Bill 2025

Senator WATT (Queensland—Minister for the Environment and Water) (11:48): If I've understood your question correctly, Senator, you're asking what protections there will be for small businesses to stop unions seeking to vary awards to make use of this. As I've said many times, it happens on a daily basis that unions and employer groups seek to vary awards. I would expect that unions will make all sorts of applications, just as employer groups will.

So I can't offer that kind of protection, because that's what happens in the commission every single day.