Page 435 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 24 February 1993
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ACTION - Job Vacancy
MR WESTENDE: My question is directed to the Minister for Urban Services. Is the Minister aware that ACTION recently advertised internally for a storeman and received 60 applications? Is the Minister further aware that management decided that none of the 60 applicants was adequate to fill the position advertised? Can the Minister confirm that the position was then advertised externally and subsequently filled from outside? Is the Minister aware that this has a most significant effect on the morale of the employees in ACTION? Would the Minister agree that the internal training program in ACTION must be seriously flawed if at least one of the 60 original applicants was not qualified or could not be trained?
MR CONNOLLY: I will certainly look into those allegations. I would say that most ACTION employees are trained in bus driving, mechanics and general administration; but a senior stores position may require certain qualifications or a background in stores which ACTION employees may not have. I will, however, look into the matter and report back to Mr Westende.
Baby Capsules
MRS GRASSBY: My question is addressed to the Attorney-General as the Minister for consumer affairs. For the benefit of the Canberra Times, I point out that this is not a dorothy dix question, as many citizens have asked me about this matter. In the light of the recent media reports about baby capsules, can the Minister inform the Assembly about the safety standards of the restraining band on these baby capsules?
MR CONNOLLY: Recently media attention has been given to the fact that Standards Australia have introduced a new standard for baby capsules and child restraints which requires the use of a harness in a baby capsule rather than the velcro strap which has been used up to now. I have been concerned, as has Mrs Grassby, that those media reports of the new standard have led to some parents believing that the existing capsules with the velcro strap are unsafe. I am able to assure the Assembly - and we have discussed this with the Child Accident Prevention Foundation, which is very much the authority in this area - that, while the new standards mean that the newer capsules are safer, the older style capsule with the velcro strap is perfectly safe.
Mr Moore: Will you continue using it?
MR CONNOLLY: In fact, Mr Moore, I have one with velcro in my private vehicle and one with the more modern harness in another vehicle. Parents should not feel that the velcro strap is unsafe. It would be of much concern if parents felt that the velcro strap system was unsafe and perhaps avoided using the capsule. Capsules with velcro have served the community well over many years. Road accident statistics show that they have saved many lives. They are safe. Parents who have that capsule can continue confidently to use it, but parents looking to purchase a new safety capsule would be well advised to look for a capsule that complies with the new standard and uses the harness device rather than the velcro.
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