New laws come into effect in Australia giving workers the ‘right to disconnect’ | Australian News

Workers across Australia will now be able to refuse to monitor, read or respond to work communications outside of paid hours unless it is unreasonable to do so, after the federal government’s workplace reforms came into effect on Monday.

The changes, which include a ‘right to disconnect’, are expected to dramatically reduce the number of unpaid hours Australians work.

Employment Relations Minister Murray Watt said the right to be offline ensures the law keeps pace with technology.

“What is not acceptable is people continually taking phone calls or emails with the expectation that they are monitoring and responding to everything, when they are not being paid to do so,” he told reporters in Queensland on Sunday.

In the run-up to the law changes, some Australian workers have reported a dramatic increase in the number of hours they are required to work.

“I’m not a CEO, I just feel like I have a job with a lot of power,” said Lizzy Grant, a part-time airline customer service representative.

“But really, I’m just a customer service representative for an airline – underpaid and overworked,” said Grant, who described how a 20-hour workweek often turned into a 40-hour workload.

Australian Council of Trade Unions president Michele O’Neil said the laws were a major victory for workers during a crisis when the cost of living was low.

“More money in your pocket, more time with your loved ones and more freedom to live your life,” she said.

The government’s reforms also improve gig workers’ rights and provisions for temporary workers to transition to permanent employment.

But Business Council of Australia chief executive Bran Black said it was putting Australia’s competitive position at risk.

“At a time when productivity has flattened and bankruptcies are rising, we cannot risk making doing business more difficult with additional bureaucracy,” he said.