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

Senator KOVACIC (New South Wales) (17:56): I think it may change based on the potential retrospectivity of the bill. Given it can take a small business somewhere between six to 12 months to negotiate an enterprise agreement and the cost of that is somewhere between $30,000 and $70,000, does the government consider that to be an affordable and reasonable pathway for flexibility for a small business and their employees?

It's fine if you're a large retailer, a major bank or a large institution, but, if you're the local cafe, retail shop, vet, dentist or any small business that is relied on for people's day-to-day needs outside of major institutions, is that fair? Is that reasonable and affordable in your view?