“The Albanese government’s rushed and chaotic approach to this bill was on full display today. They were so desperate to get this through today they voted for bad legislation,” she said.
Under the new law,if the employer persists in contacting the worker,the employee can apply for a “stop” order from the Fair Work Commission which,if breached,can lead to a criminal sanction and $18,000 fines for individuals.
However,Burke said the penalties would not be applied because the legislation didn’t come into effect for six months and Labor would now seek to legislate against the criminal sanctions.
“It is difficult to imagine a situation where criminal penalties would ever be appropriate,” Burke said. “Despite the opposition’s idiotic and irresponsible behaviour – we will legislate to fix this.”
While Australian Council of Trade Unions secretary Sally McManus celebrated the new right to disconnect as fair and essential to maintaining a balance between life and work,employer groups said they were concerned about vexatious claims going to the Fair Work Commission,despite legislative safeguards.
Australian Industry Group chief executive Innes Willox said bosses were looking at “massive complexity and uncertainty about how workplaces operate”.