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Public Sector Management Act 1994 . . Page.. 924 ..

That is one of the principal points that we have been stressing through this debate. I was rather alarmed to hear Mrs Carnell, in the argument for corporatisation, claiming that we have a 100 per cent success rate in the ACT. As Lucy commented, coming from a science background, that is really not a significant sample size.

MR WHITECROSS (10.19): Mr Speaker, our position is that, having decided to corporatise, we should let the start date slide. Mr De Domenico has not presented any argument which would persuade me that it is appropriate not to do this. The arguments are not there for us to rush into this. As I have said and as Mr Berry has said, it is simply not the case that the TLC supports what Mr De Domenico is doing on this. What the TLC supports is progress towards the corporatisation of ACTEW in a considered way, and letting the enterprise bargaining and terms of conditions of employment be resolved before we proceed. That is what this amendment would allow.

Amendment negatived.

Clause agreed to.

Clauses 3 to 6, by leave, taken together, and agreed to.

Clause 7

MR WHITECROSS (10.21): Mr Speaker, I move:

Page 3, line 28, omit the clause, substitute the following clause:

“Employees and employment conditions

7. Where immediately before the relevant day, a person was employed by the Territory as part of the staff of the Authority under the Public Sector Management Act 1994, the person shall, on and after that day, continue to be employed by the Territory under that Act and shall become part of the staff of the Company.”.

This amendment is designed to ensure that people employed by ACTEW continue to be employed under the Public Sector Management Act. There are other amendments to the Electricity and Water (Corporatisation) (Consequential Amendments) Bill, when we come to it, which relate to this. It is the view of the Labor Party that, regardless of the arguments for or against corporatisation of ACTEW, no case has been made out that ACTEW or its employees should be exempt from the provisions of the Public Sector Management Act. Mr Speaker, the Public Sector Management Act is very long and complicated, and I would not want to go into all the details.

Mr De Domenico: Read it into Hansard.

MR WHITECROSS: I would not want to read it into Hansard, Mr De Domenico.

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