Page 352 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 10 February 2021
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amendments to the Secure Local Jobs Code were undertaken. These amendments to the code, which took effect in September 2020, were informed by both operational experience gathered since the commencement of the code in January 2019 and feedback from industry stakeholders.
This experience and feedback helped identify opportunities for enhancement to the Secure Local Jobs Code, which are: to support a clarity of obligations for both code certified entities and other stakeholders, including employee representatives; enhancements to the compliance and enforcement framework; and opportunities for further education on compliance obligations to support government and businesses to comply with the code.
The Secure Local Jobs Code Advisory Council, whose membership includes both employee representatives and industry representatives, has a role to advise me about matters relating to the operations of the code. The advisory council provided comment and input during the development of the proposed amendments which are being opposed by Mr Cain. Feedback from the advisory council members was actively sought to inform the former minister’s decision. I have met with the advisory council and all members have reiterated their support for the code to me and their desire to see safe and secure local jobs in the ACT.
The Canberra Times earlier this week may have described this opposition as new and progressive, but the truth is that we see the same thing time after time from the Liberal Party attempting to undermine worker protections and the right to safe and secure local jobs. There is a clear difference in the values in this chamber today. The government stands for working people. Fair pay and conditions for workers is a basic expectation of our procurement process.
As we speak, Mr Cain’s Liberal mates on the hill are trying to pass legislation to weaken worker rights and protections. It is disappointing that one of Mr Cain’s first actions in this place is to try to do the same. Disappointing but not surprising. This is what the Liberal Party does. This is who they are. Their priority is not secure employment and fair pay for workers. That is why the government cannot support efforts to overturn the Secure Local Jobs Code.
This motion shows nothing has changed. The Canberra Liberals remain as conservative as ever. Conversely, this government has once again demonstrated our commitment to safe and secure local jobs. Yesterday the Chief Minister announced a significant improvement in the ACT jobs market despite the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. This shows that our commitment to secure local jobs is good for the economy, good for businesses and good for workers. This is because having a fair and equitable city ensures that everyone benefits.
The code helps us to ensure equity and protects the rights of workers. By supporting this motion, the Canberra Liberals are showing that they do not support the right to collectively bargain and they do not support workers.
As we work to recover from the worst ever economic impact to our city, it is more important than ever to do this by supporting employees and backing equity. If
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