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

Senator WATT (Queensland—Minister for the Environment and Water) (12:08): I think my answer is the same, in that the ability of those women to reach those kinds of agreements will remain in place after this bill is passed. They will still have the ability to negotiate and be part of an enterprise bargaining agreement, just as they do now. More generally, the bill would have a positive impact for women, who make up the majority of award-reliant employees; nearly 60 per cent of award based employees are women.

This would protect their penalty rates. Women are also overrepresented in part-time work, as workers with care responsibilities and in industries where enterprise bargaining agreements are less common. So, by ensuring the penalty and overtime rates in modern awards are not reduced in the future, this bill helps protect take-home pay for these women—but, as I say, they would continue to have the ability to reach agreements, just as they do now.