Review laws protecting employees from dismissal for lawful speech outside work
Review legal framework for protecting staff from dismissal by their employers for lawful speech outside work. A review could establish stricter duties on employers to show clearer and more demonstrable harm to legitimate business interests before a dismissal can take place.
Signatures
13
signatures
Government response threshold (10,000) · 13/10,000
Debate threshold (100,000) · 13/100,000
- 06 JUL 2026Petition opened for signaturesCreated by Daniel Ayres
Background
It has been reported that employees have been disciplined or dismissed for opinions expressed in their private lives. We think this creates a chilling effect on free expression. People should be able to hold and express lawful views outside work without fear of losing their job. We think current protections are unclear and inconsistently applied, which can leave employees vulnerable to unfair dismissal.