Page 2112 - Week 10 - Thursday, 26 October 1989
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MR MOORE (11.14): Being the balancing force on this committee that - - -
Mr Wood: I thought it was the unbalancing force.
MR MOORE: Sorry; being the unbalancing force on this committee that elected to recommend the removal of "involved unions", I wish to point out a couple of things about the occupational health and safety select committee. First of all, the committee report was done in a very short time and was a very intensive piece of work. It was the first legislation that I have ever read in detail. I was very inexperienced. I am sure that that does not apply to Mr Wood, who has been in parliament before, or Mr Stefaniak, who has been dealing with legislation all the time. I think the lesson that I have learnt more than anything is that under such circumstances - and I strongly recommend this to the Assembly - such committee reports should go out in a draft form first and then come to a final form.
With respect particularly to the "involved unions", it took me quite by surprise that the Trades and Labour Council kept pushing the line that it was being excluded from the legislation. This took me by surprise because I made it quite clear - as I said on many occasions - that we did not want to exclude the unions from the legislation but we did not want to include them compulsorily.
Interestingly enough, after my letter to Charles McDonald, I made several telephone calls, on behalf of the Rally at that time, when I said, "Allow me therefore to assure you that, should you be able to show us how we have excluded the unions, we would be prepared to consider changing the proposed legislation in order to rectify the problem". As I pointed out to the house the other day, that is what happened. I believe that the intention not to compulsorily include the unions but also not to exclude them is achieved by retaining the definition of "involved unions". That has been demonstrated to my satisfaction, and I have to say to the house and to the unions in this case that I was wrong and that I am pleased that, since the Bill has been tabled and the committee report has been brought down, we have had time to learn of that mistake and are now able to implement in the legislation the intention that we have always had. For that reason I support the retention of the clause.
MR HUMPHRIES (11.17): Mr Speaker, I support this amendment. It may well be that my party is the only body of people in this place that does so, but I will be very proud that we have supported this amendment. We supported the original recommendation of the committee. We will not shirk from that position and we will be very pleased to go out into the community after this debate and say that we have done so, and I am sure that in the course of time our position will be vindicated.
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