Submission to the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations ‘Same Job, Same Pay’ consultation paper

Master Builders Australia does not support the “Same Job, Same Pay” policy and submits that the Government should not proceed to give it legislative effect.

This submission sets out details of a selection of the numerous policy and practical grounds that give rise to the above position, including:

• There is no justification or evidence to support the need for the policy, especially in building and construction;
• Workers in Australia, including Labour Hire workers, are already subject to a comprehensive safety net of minimum conditions;
• As currently expressed, the ‘Same Job, Same Pay’ policy appears to be capable of having application far more broadly than to the circumstances frequently cited to justify its need;
• This includes potential extension to the use of independent and sub-contracting within building and construction, which is a legitimate and long-standing method of engagement arising from the way building work is performed;
• There will be significant problems arising from the practical application of the ‘Same Job, Same Pay’ policy in workplaces;
• If Government remains committed to this policy, it should be limited in application and only apply to labour hire providers who are required to be licenced under the proposed single national framework for labour hire regulation; and
• The definition of labour hire should be narrow, targeted, and specifically exclude group training providers and subcontracting in the building and construction industry.