Page 986 - Week 04 - Thursday, 18 June 1992
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The largest employment group affected were bank employees, who were eventually covered by the declaring of a special bank holiday in the week following that holiday. Other groups not specifically covered in awards were not able to avail themselves of a substitute public holiday. The present arrangements are therefore clearly inequitable, as workers who either work under an award which does not provide for automatic transfer of the public holiday or are not covered by an award are disadvantaged.
The purpose of the Bill is to provide for all workers in the ACT the same public holiday substitution arrangements that are included in awards and by so doing bring the ACT into line with conditions that apply in all other States and the Northern Territory. Employment groups which will now receive the substitute public holidays are not numerous - for example, dental nurses, typewriter technicians and pastoral workers - so the overall cost effects are not likely to be significant. Such costs as do arise will do so only in those years when the holiday falls on a Saturday. The cost impact is also lessened by the fact that the Christmas-New Year period is often treated effectively as a stand-down period or is a time when staff avail themselves of their annual recreation leave without the need for replacement staff.
Madam Speaker, a tripartite working party established by the Industrial Relations Advisory Council unanimously endorsed the proposals covered by the Bill. The council's consultative processes involved representative ACT employer organisations and unions. All parties welcomed the Government's initiative to provide certainty for employers and equity for workers in standardising the observance of these holidays in the ACT. Madam Speaker, I present the explanatory memorandum for the Bill.
Debate (on motion by Mr De Domenico) adjourned.
FOOD BILL 1992
MR BERRY (Minister for Health, Minister for Industrial Relations and Minister for Sport) (10.41): I present the Food Bill 1992.
Title read by Clerk.
MR BERRY: I move:
That this Bill be agreed to in principle.
Madam Speaker, the great emphasis now placed on the importance of food safety and the great changes in food technology has meant that simple amendments to any existing ACT food legislation would not be effective in protecting the ACT consumer, and therefore a complete overhaul of the legislation is necessary. The Food Bill 1992 is the first stage of this overhaul.
In the 1980s the National Health and Medical Research Council introduced a model food Act that was to provide the basis for legislation in the States and Territories. This model food Act has been adopted over the years in various forms by the States and the Northern Territory. Part of the Act included a model food code that has evolved into the National Food Standards Code that regulates standards for all food manufactured or sold in Australia. Also enacted was the
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