Kellie Sloane
NSW Leader of the Opposition
NSW Liberal Leader
Gurmesh Singh
Shadow Minister for Small Business
NSW Nationals Leader
Tim James
Shadow Minister for Fair Trading, Work Health and Safety and Building
Businesses in NSW will be waking up to unions knocking on their door after the Minns Labor Government’s bill to grant unprecedented digital access powers to union officials passed the NSW Parliament tonight.
While the NSW Liberals and Nationals successfully secured amendments requiring a 48-hour notice period before a union official can gain access to a business’ digital systems, and ensuring the laws will not commence until relevant guidelines are published, the Minns Labor Government rejected a broader package of changes requested by leading industry groups.
Despite these amendments, the NSW Liberals and Nationals voted against the final Bill due to the significant risks it presents to businesses of all sizes.
NSW Leader of the Opposition, Kellie Sloane, said that the bill is bad legislation that makes it harder for businesses to do business in NSW.
“For weeks, we have heard small businesses, chambers of commerce and industry leaders tell us that they do not support these unprecedented new powers for unions,” Ms Sloane said.
“At a time when businesses are already grappling with rising energy bills, insurance premiums, wage pressures and interest rates, Labor has chosen to add another layer of red tape and legal risk.”
Shadow Minister for Small Business, Gurmesh Singh, said that thousands of small businesses have had their concerns ignored by the Minns Labor Government.
"This is a tough day for small businesses across our state who now must wonder when and if a union official will roll into their business and demand access to their sensitive commercial data," Mr Singh said.
“Despite widespread opposition from business, Chris Minns and Labor pushed this Bill through Parliament.”
Shadow Minister for Fair Trading, Work Health and Safety and Building Tim James said the bill puts union influence ahead of sound policy outcomes.
“The NSW Liberals and Nationals will always support the right of workers to be safe and treated fairly,” Mr James said.
“However, this Bill was not about safety, it was about expanding union influence and control over businesses in NSW.”
“These laws place NSW out of step with the rest of Australia and have been brought outside of the nationally consistent approach to work health and safety law reform.”
“Throughout this process, the NSW Liberals and Nationals sought to represent the interests of businesses and community groups whose concerns were not adequately addressed, and unfortunately most of these proposals were dismissed by Labor.”