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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 1 Hansard (22 February) . . Page.. 165 ..

MR BERRY (11.17), in reply: In due course, I suspect, there will be more debate about this issue because the Government has mentioned that it has an amendment before the Assembly in relation to this matter, and that is indicative of its response. It is a great disappointment to me, as the chair of that committee, that the Government has taken the attitude that it has in relation to this matter, because the key recommendation of the report, which was unanimously endorsed, was the establishment of a statutory authority.

MR SPEAKER: Order! It being 45 minutes after the commencement of Assembly business, the debate is interrupted in accordance with standing order 77.

Motion (by Mr Humphries) agreed to:

That the time allotted to Assembly business be extended by 30 minutes.

MR BERRY: Mr Speaker, that key recommendation being ignored by the Government is one - - -

Mr De Domenico: No, it has not been ignored. You will be briefed tomorrow on how it has not been ignored.

MR BERRY: The Government does not accept this recommendation, but it does talk about giving the responsibility to the Occupational Health and Safety Council. The difficulty I have with that is the power of the council. This is a Government that likes to see the public sector performing the same way as the private sector - in a businesslike fashion. I would think that the Government therefore would like to have the same regulatory independence from policing authorities when it comes to its employment activities. For example, in the private sector WorkCover deals with OH and S matters and is very clearly independent of the private sector.

Mr De Domenico: So will the Occupational Health and Safety Council.

MR BERRY: It is only an advisory council to the Minister.

Mr De Domenico: But we are changing the legislation. You should read your stuff before you come in and say things.

MR BERRY: I know that there are some more amendments coming. I am yet to be briefed on the matter.

Mr De Domenico: You are being briefed tomorrow. You were invited to be briefed yesterday, but you refused.

MR BERRY: You have had weeks to do that and you want to do it in the middle of a sitting period.

Mr De Domenico: You were not here.

MR BERRY: What did you say? I was not here?

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