‘So dumb’: Shark Tank millionaire slams Australia

Australia’s new ‘right-to-disconnect’ law left the US bewildered, with the Shark Tank’s Kevin O’Leary wondering ‘who dreams up this cr-p?’

Shark Tank millionaire Kevin O’Leary slammed Australia’s new right-to-disconnect law as “so dumb”, and wondered who would dream up such a “stupid idea”.

The Albanese government’s new law, which came into effect this week, left observers in the United States bewildered at the “nonsense” policy.

“If someone tells me they’re in ‘silent mode’, they’re fired,” said Mr O’Leary, who hosts the Shark Tank alongside billionaire Mark Cuban.

Mr O’Leary has an estimated net worth of about $A590 million and is considered one of the leading commentators on the US economy.

Kevin O’Leary, centre, on the popular Shark Tank with his co-hosts Mark Cuban, Barbara Corcoran, Lori Greiner, and Robert Herjavec. Picture: Supplied

Asked about the new right of Australian employees to ignore their bosses after hours, Mr O’Leary wondered what would happen if there was an after-hours emergency in the office.

“What happens if you have an event in the office and it’s closed, or you have an emergency somewhere and you have to get a hold of them at 2am in the morning because it affects the job they’re working on and their mandate within the organisation,” he told Fox News.

“This kind of stuff just makes me crazy, it’s so dumb. Who dreams this crap up is my question and why would anybody propose such a stupid idea.”

Millions of workers were given the legal right to ignore calls, emails and texts from their bosses after hours unless refusal is deemed “unreasonable”.

While unions welcomed move as reclaiming work-life balance, Australia’s top industry body said the legislation was rushed and “deeply confusing”

Some European and Latin American countries have similar laws, but the concept is the antithesis to the entrepreneurial spirit that underpins the United States’ economic model.

In Australia, employees can now ignore their bosses after hours. Let me ask you this... What happens during an emergency? This kind of policy is nonsense. If you can’t be reached when the job depends on it, you’re out. Who dreams up these ridiculous ideas? If someone tells me… pic.twitter.com/s0BOGFrSfV

— Kevin O'Leary aka Mr. Wonderful (@kevinolearytv) August 28, 2024

Under the legislation, workers may be ordered by a tribunal to stop unreasonably refusing out-of-hours contact, and employers likewise may be ordered to stop unreasonably requiring employees to respond.

The question of what is reasonable will “depend on the circumstances”, the Fair Work Ombudsman said in a statement.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, whose government pushed through the law, said people aren’t paid 24 hours a day and so shouldn’t have to work 24 hours a day.

“It’s a mental health issue, frankly, as well, for people to be able to disconnect from their work and connect with their family and their life,” he told ABC News.

Mr O’Leary double-down on his outrage at the law, saying “This kind of policy is nonsense”.

“In Australia, employees can now ignore their bosses after hours. Let me ask you this … What happens during an emergency?” he asked on Twitter/X.

“This kind of policy is nonsense. If you can’t be reached when the job depends on it, you’re out. Who dreams up these ridiculous ideas?”

– With AFP

Originally published as ‘So dumb’: Shark Tank millionaire slams Australia