Local SME’s very wary about new Federal Industrial Relations Laws impact
Today, the Toowoomba Chamber invited the Member for Groom and all candidates in the recent Federal election to a roundtable discussion to unite around the SME’s who are increasingly anxious about the impact of the proposed new IR laws on their business.
Several concerns have been raised with the Toowoomba Chamber around complexity, job security, and enterprise bargaining. These concerns reflect many of the matters raised by the Australian Business Council in their submission.
Member for Groom, Garth Hamilton said, “I have repeatedly opposed the Bill as it contains radical changes to enterprise bargaining that will drag businesses with more than 20 staff into multi-employer agreements with their much larger competitors.
“Government modeling shows that this could cost small and medium businesses between $14,000 and $80,000 in bargaining costs, which is an unacceptable hit to aspirational business owners in our region”, he said.
Toowoomba Chamber Chief Executive Officer, Todd Rohl, said, “Whilst the new laws have secured their way through parliament, there remain many uncertainties and potential threats to small business growth in the new legislation.
“The devil, of course, will be in the detail, and I concur the with Business Council of Australia that risks remain in the creation of a new untested, untried and unproven multi-employer bargaining model.
Major shift in industrial relations law
“In light of this major shift in industrial relations law and its impact on SME’s, the Toowoomba Chamber will hold a business breakfast in February, with leading local businesses to start to unpack this critical challenge in 2023.
“I praise the Member for Groom for taking the time to share his insights and advice on this important matter, so we can stand up for business in Toowoomba and the region”, said Todd.
