As always, it depends who you ask.

Thursday’s landmark ruling by the Fair Work Commission to slash Sunday penalty rates for hundreds of thousands of Australian workers has the business lobby agog and unions hyperventilating on outrage.

Giving the business sector freedom to grow while protecting workers’ rights is a delicate high-wire act for regulators. 

For two years, an ideological war has been waged in the media by both sides of the debate over penalty rates.

The business sector claimed Sunday rates were a millstone around the neck of small business – particularly in the hospitality, fast food and retail industries – and threatened the viability of some businesses.

The unions claim scrapping Sunday penalty rates will drive thousands of Australia’s most vulnerable workers below the poverty line

At the heart of the debate is an attempt to define how important Sundays are in modern-day Australia.

Historically, it was a sacrosanct day, where families went to church together before spending quality time at home. But the rise of commercialism and a changing culture mean for many, Sundays are now about shopping, heading to the pub or having a leisurely cafe breakfast with friends.

If, indeed, Sundays no longer carry the importance they once did, it stands to reason they shouldn’t carry the same penalty rates.

Under the new rates, workers will still receive a loading for Sundays, but at a diminished rate.

This strikes a sensible balance between the inconvenience of working weekends and the diminishing status of Sundays as a hallowed rest day.

It may be true life now rotates around a 24/7 working week, but the workers providing these services still lose some rhythm in their lives. Contact with family is affected as members find themselves living in different time zones. And they should be compensated for that.

Business groups have continually said penalty rates are a handbrake on growth and by reducing them, shops and cafes will open longer and create more jobs.

Businesses must now deliver on that promise.