The NSW Nationals are calling on the Minns Labor Government to immediately pull its Bill that will allow Unions access to customer data, intellectual property and commercially sensitive information from small businesses across NSW.
Nationals’ Leader and Shadow Minister for Small Business Gurmesh Singh said if workplace laws are being broken, there are already regulators, courts, and proper legal processes to deal with it.
“This unprecedented power grab will turn Unions into de facto police – allowing them to roam through private computer systems, acting as judge, jury and executioner,” Mr Singh said.
“This government-backed proposal opens the door to serious privacy breaches, intimidation, and union bullying, especially for smaller family-run businesses.
“Every small business owner in NSW should be alarmed by this outrageous overreach.”
Shadow Minister for Work Health and Safety Tim James said this is the most interventionist digital workplace law in the country, rushed through without consultation and riddled with privacy and cybersecurity risks.
“It hands unions sweeping access to businesses’ digital systems and commercially sensitive data, while crushing small businesses under an impossible compliance burden,” Mr James said.
“Abandoning nationally harmonised WHS laws and replacing certainty with regulatory chaos will stifle innovation and cost jobs.”
“All of this is without clear justification, when existing WHS laws already address psychosocial risks. The Minns Government must abandon this extraordinary attack on innovation and jobs and ensure the data of NSW residents remains protected.”
Industry Groups including the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Business NSW, Australian Industry Group, Business Council of Australia, and the Council of Small Business Organisations Australia wrote to Minister Cotsis in November last year, raising their ‘significant concerns’ with the Bill.
Mr Singh said the Minister’s inability to explain why we need these changes is further proof she has prioritised Union demands over industry stakeholders.
“The Minister is confirming what we have always suspected – her loyalty lies with Union bosses – not with the small businesses that employ millions of Australians and keep regional communities alive.”
