Supporting Business in Curtin - January 2025

Across Curtin, we have a diverse network of enterprising businesses.

Australia needs to encourage and support successful businesses of all sizes – this is how we increase our standard of living.

Industrial relations reform

When I speak to people running these businesses, many raise the challenges posed by our industrial relations system, which is one of the most complicated in the world.

Navigating our workplace relations system is a huge headache and a drag on business growth.

Having worked in and advised some of Australia’s largest companies, I know that even with significant human resources teams, companies frequently find they have breached some unknown or complicated term of an award.

Over recent years, there has been no political will by either major party to make the industrial relations framework more functional and easier for businesses to navigate. Instead, each side tinkers with ideological changes, rather than practical workable solutions for business.

In such a complicated regulatory environment, the main winners are the specialists – lawyers, unions and IR professionals. Neither businesses nor workers benefit from complexity.

Efforts have been made to streamline the number of awards in recent years, but each award is still ridiculously complicated.

Our workplace relations system needs to be simplified and modernised to make it easier for companies to flexibly grow their businesses, contribute to productivity and do the right thing by their workers.

Small business definition

Small businesses often face regulatory burdens designed for much larger businesses, especially when it comes to employment laws.

One of the simplest ways to reduce this regulatory burden would be to increase the threshold for businesses subject to the Fair Work Act from 15 employees to at least 25. This change would provide relief to small businesses across Australia and free up their valuable time and resources.

This change has strong support from the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

What I am doing

As a crossbencher, I have been able to negotiate some amendments to reduce the complexities that have been added to our workplace relations system in this Parliament.

I have also proposed additional changes that were not passed (for example, reducing unions’ power of entry, an amendment which was, surprisingly, not supported by the Liberal Party).

Practical guide to support

As well as improving legislation and encouraging both sides to focus on simplification and flexibility, I will continue to find ways to support small businesses in our community.

We have just released the Curtin Small Business Guide. This is a list of practical resources, most of them free, to support you and your small business in Curtin.

DOWNLOAD A DIGITAL COPY OR PICK UP A HARD COPY FROM MY OFFICE.