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

Senator KOVACIC (New South Wales) (18:12): Why introduce legislation that will make rostering more rigid and complex rather than enable flexibility? Australians want flexibility in their work. We have these employer groups, many of whom sat in particular forums you had and were at your productivity roundtable last week, and whom, as you say, you agree with on many things.

This is a very important or significant impact on Australian businesses. Why would you not consider their comments, their views and their warnings—I think it would be best to note them as warnings—that this will make it harder for Australian small businesses, particularly in relation to reporting and rostering?