NAB boss ‘a wee bit surprised’ by Dutton’s estrangement from big business

“I’m not sure where that commentary came from. From my perspective, we’re open to talking to anybody and we will participate with any government, as we’ve shown in the past,” McEwan said.

The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry reacted similarly, with its chief executive Andrew McKellar saying he would continue to work with both sides of politics.

“Of course, business supports an active agenda for reform, including changes to taxation, skills and industrial relations policy, in addition to the sustainability, digitalisation and other means to boost productivity,” McKellar said.

CEO Innes Willox said Ai Group would work with the federal opposition.Credit:Dominic Lorrimer

Australian Industry Group CEO Innes Willox said his organisation would work with the federal opposition “in the interests of all employers”.

“In a modern economy in which all businesses are linked in often complex ecosystems and supply chains, there are substantial areas of common interest,” Willox said.

The business community has presented a united front in calling for both the former and current governments to reform enterprise bargaining laws, with employer groups last week foreshadowing they wanted changes to the better-off-overall test (BOOT) on the negotiating table during Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s employment summit.

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The BOOT – a key workplace system safeguard that ensures workers don’t go backwards during pay negotiations – requires each individual worker to be better off under the terms of any new enterprise agreement than under the industry award for it to be passed.

Former industrial relations minister Michaelia Cash last month ruled out changes to the BOOT, despite employer groups pursuing revisions that would allow enterprise bargaining agreements to be ratified if they have majority workforce backing, and the scrapping of entitlements deemed unnecessary for most workers.

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