• Media Release

Government amendments to workplace legislation do not go far enough

The Minerals Council of Australia remains concerned that Government’s proposed amendments to the Secure Jobs, Better Pay legislation announced today do not go far enough in addressing industry concerns about the unintended impact of the bill.

The MCA recognises the Government’s accommodation of MCA concerns by adopting the proposal to introduce the concept of ‘reasonably comparable’ into the common interest test and amendments to address the potential for a union veto on putting agreements to a vote of employees.

The MCA will continue to work with the Government to minimise the potential negative impact of this legislation on the mining industry and the broader economy.

There should be no unintended consequences on investment, productivity, economic growth, job security and wages for small or large businesses across Australia.

The MCA has previously indicated it supports the bill’s changes to enterprise bargaining, the application of the better off overall test, provision for voluntary cooperative workplace agreements and gender equity reforms.

Mining is Australia’s largest export industry, generating a record $413 billion in exports in 2021-22. The industry paid $43.2 billion in tax and royalty payments in 2020-21 and accounted for 30 per cent of all company tax paid that year.