Page 685 - Week 02 - Thursday, 23 March 2023

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one of the teams walked off the field in protest. I applaud the moral courage of those young Canberrans in their protest. I also recognise the structural weaknesses that meant that the young volunteer referee lacked the training, skills and understanding to effectively respond to the particular encounter.

We also need to recognise the community context and the systemic reasons that led to the taunts in the first place. I think everyone here will agree that racism is unacceptable and that it is our responsibility, as adults and as representatives, to listen, to talk about racism and to take action. I commend my motion to the Assembly.

Question resolved in the affirmative.

Professional Engineers Bill 2022

Debate resumed from 1 December 2022, on motion by Ms Vassarotti:

That this bill be agreed to in principle.

MR PARTON (Brindabella) (4.38): The Canberra Liberals will not be opposing this bill. It is welcomed by us, it is welcomed by industry and it is welcomed by the wider public. The big question that we on this side of the chamber have to ask is why it has taken this government so long to present this legislation. The legislation that is before us today was a very clear recommendation in the Getting home safely report.

Mr Hanson: When was that?

MR PARTON: Thank you for the question, Mr Hanson. The Getting home safely report was commissioned by this government in 2012. This government talk a big talk about workers’ safety. Certainly, the Australian Education Union does not believe them anymore. The paramedics do not believe them anymore. The police association never, ever believed them.

Let me take you on a short history lesson, if I could, Madam Assistant Speaker, with respect to the Getting home safely report—absolute bread and butter for a Labor-Greens government. In September 2012 the ACT Attorney-General, Simon Corbell—now there is a blast from the past!—asked Lynelle Briggs and Mark McCabe to conduct an inquiry into compliance with and application of work health and safety laws in the ACT’s construction industry. This was a sombre time in construction in the ACT. The inquiry panel was established in the wake of three deaths in the construction industry in the previous year and a high number of other serious safety incidents.

I have the Getting home safely report here. Let us go straight to recommendation 12 of the Getting home safely report:

The ACT Government should work with other jurisdictions to encourage a national approach to the registration of engineers as soon as is practicable. If a national scheme is likely to be delayed, the Government should ‘go it alone’ and implement its own scheme for the registration of engineers practising in the ACT by 30 June 2014.


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