Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Hansard source

by leave—I move opposition amendments on sheet 1645, revised, (1) and (2):

(1) Page 2 (after line 12), after clause 3, insert:

4 Review of this Act

(1) The Minister must cause an independent review to be conducted of the operation of the amendments made by this Act.

(2) Without limiting subsection (1), the review must consider the impact of the amendments made by this Act on:

(a) small businesses; and

(b) sole traders.

(3) The persons who conduct the review must consider both quantitative and qualitative research in conducting the review.

(4) The review must start as soon as practicable after the end of the period of 12 months after the commencement of Schedule 1.

(5) The persons who conduct the review must give the Minister a written report of the review within 3 months of the commencement of the review.

(6) The Minister must cause a copy of the report to be tabled in each House of the Parliament within 15 sitting days of that House after the report is given to the Minister.

This amendment is intended to ensure an independent review is conducted into the operation of paid family and domestic violence leave, especially in relation to the impact the bill will have on small business and sole traders. The bill as currently before us does not have a review mechanism in place, and it is important with a change like this to the operation of the National Employment Standards that we review those changes to ensure that they are appropriate in the way that they have been developed.

The committee that inquired into this bill—and I do thank Senator Matt O'Sullivan for all the work that he did—recommended that the Australian government commission an independent review of the provisions of the Fair Work Amendment (Paid Family and Domestic Violence Leave) Bill to be undertaken 18 months after the commencement of this schedule. I do appreciate the cooperation that the government has provided to us. The amendment that they have requested, and which the opposition has agreed to, is in relation to section 2C, adding the words 'people experiencing family and domestic violence', and of course in relation to the amendment that has been moved by the opposition at part 4:

The review must start as soon as practicable after the end of the period of 12 months after the commencement of Schedule 1.

I do thank the government for its support.