Busselton Chamber of Commerce and Industry takes cautious approach to potential right-to-disconnect laws

The Busselton Chamber of Commerce and Industry will take a “balanced” approach to potential right-to-disconnect laws as it looks set to become reality, according to the organisation. The Federal Government on Wednesday announced the right to disconnect would form part of changes to its industrial relations Bill. The legislation is almost certain to pass Parliament after the Greens, alongside independent Senators Lidia Thorpe and David Pocock, confirmed their support. While the chamber is yet to receive concerns from the town’s business community about the potential legislation, chief executive Victoria Yuen said the chamber acknowledged the importance of promoting a healthy work-life balance for employees. “While we recognise the potential benefits of right-to-disconnect laws in supporting employee wellbeing, we also understand the concerns that may be raised by businesses about the practical implications,” she said. Ms Yuen said the chamber’s stance on the proposed legislation would likely consider both the rights of employees to disconnect after work hours alongside the needs of businesses. “We would advocate for clear guidelines and flexibility to address the diverse needs of businesses in the Busselton region, recognising that the impact may vary across industries and sizes of the businesses,” she said. The Greens’ model would not ban bosses from calling or sending emails to staff after hours — as employer groups had initially feared — but rather allow workers to ignore “unreasonable” contact. Speaking on Wednesday, Greens Senator Barbara Pocock used the example of a nurse who had been contacted seven times on a Sunday. If the Fair Work Commission rules the bosses’ contact has been out of line, it could issue a “stop order” to prevent the practice. “(The amendment) means that you have the right to refuse to be contacted, where it is unreasonable in relation to your work outside your working time,” Senator Pocock said. “It won’t disturb all kinds of changes, where people are paid to be on call or where their job description requires it, or where there is an emergency. “It’s the persistent and steady intrusion of jobs into workers’ (non-working) time that this amendment will fix.” Earlier on Wednesday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese endorsed the “right to disconnect” despite concerns having been raised — especially in WA which is several hours out of sync with the east coast — that time zone differences combined with disconnection clauses could wreak havoc on productivity. “What we’re simply saying is someone who’s not being paid 24 hours a day shouldn’t be penalised if they’re not online and available 24 hours a day,” Mr Albanese said. “Indeed, many companies and businesses have exactly these systems in place now.”