Coalition called out for plan to repeal right to disconnect
More than three in four Australians have expressed support to the right to disconnect bill, including supporters of the Coalition party that wants to repeal it, according to a new report.
A survey by the Australia Institute among 1,017 Australians revealed that 76% support the government in legislating a right to disconnect.
Only 11% of the respondents expressed opposition to the controversial bill, according to the report.
Australia's right to disconnect bill allows employees to ignore any form of work-related contacts outside of their work hours. It is among the recently passed industrial reforms that has garnered push back from employers.
Peter Dutton, Opposition leader, previously vowed to repeal it and other workplace reforms introduced by the current government should they win the elections in 2025, Sky News reported.
Strong support for right to disconnect
But the Australia Institute's report revealed that support for the right to disconnect strong even when looked at a political lens.
The most supportive of the right to disconnect were Green voters (90%), according to the report, which also found the support rate for other voters:
- Labor voters (83%)
- Independent/Others (77%)
- Coalition voters (66%)
- One Nation voters (61%)
Fiona Macdonald, Policy Director, Industrial and Social at the Centre for Future Work, said these findings reflect how the opposition remains "out of touch" with its own voters.
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"The Coalition joined the business lobby in claiming the right to disconnect would cause the sky to fall in. They were wrong. Instead, this survey finds most Australians across the political spectrum back the legislation to stop work encroaching into their personal and family time," Macdonald said in a statement.
Right to disconnect a 'common sense step'
Previous research from the Australia Institute revealed that employers are "stealing" more than 280 hours a year from workers through unpaid overtime.
According to the report, an average employee loses $11,055 annually to unpaid overtime.
"The implementation of the right to disconnect is a common sense step towards rectifying this exploitative imbalance," Macdonald said.