Page 2559 - Week 08 - Wednesday, 23 August 2006
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The results of this study raise concerns about the adverse health effects in people who might be experiencing both high job strain and high job insecurity. As the labour market becomes more globalised and competitive, employees are more likely to encounter these two work conditions simultaneously. Therefore the influence of work on health is an important focus for future population health research, policy and intervention.
By the way, Mr Seselja, who is not here at the moment, may be interested in where this particular information came from. It is “Work and health in a contemporary society: demands, control and insecurity” by RM D’Souza and others, in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, volume 57, pages 849 to 854, 2003. The two reports I have quoted support the facts that I and my colleagues have raised in speeches made here today in relation to this motion. For Mr Seselja’s benefit, I will repeat these reports and what they said. A report released by Unions NSW states:
There are social dimensions to IR reform which will change the relationship between the sphere of work, private households and the community. Fragmenting working time erodes the common time for families, friends and community activities so it also fractures social relationships. The quality of family life, parenting, relationships and health—already under strain because of the well-known ‘work-life collision’ … will deteriorate further for those where the quality of jobs and earnings is affected. The emergence of social exclusion, dis-connected areas and welfare dependency (including employers) will also grow over time.
The other report quoted was the survey by NSW Health that clearly shows that the bottom 20 per cent of income earners in New South Wales had by far the worst health, including diabetes, obesity and high psychological distress. A spokesman for NCOSS, the Council of Social Services of New South Wales, has stated that, with the introduction of WorkChoices and John Howard’s vision to make Australia more globally competitive through a new belt of lower-paid jobs and lower working hours, boosting productivity will ensure poor health outcomes will become a feature of life for modest income earners as well.
Mr Seselja stated earlier on that all he ever hears from me, the unions and the Labor Party is how Howard is ruining the lives of Australians. I have to agree: if the unions and the Stanhope Labor government, as well as other Labor governments and the Labor Party, are not prepared to stand up and speak out against these laws, who will? Certainly the federal government will not stand up for the rights of workers, and certainly the members of this chamber sitting opposite will not stand up for the rights of employees.
Yes, we have received information, as Mr Seselja indicated, from our unions and I am proud to say that we have, as they are the ones who have spent the time with workers who have been affected by WorkChoices. The unions are the ones who have to listen when their members are told they cannot have them assist in the bargaining of new workplace agreements. The unions are the ones who used to be able to access work sites and ensure safety procedures were followed but now, with the introduction of WorkChoices, there are many workplaces that unions cannot access.
Dr Foskey, I think, is supporting the motion that I have moved today, although sometimes it is a little hard to tell, as she still finds ways in which to criticise the
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