Page 420 - Week 03 - Tuesday, 13 March 2007
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
including young people, people with disabilities, people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, part-time and casual workers, and community sector workers.
The committee placed advertisements in the Canberra Times on 24 January and the Chronicle on 30 January, inviting submissions from relevant groups and organisations. A public hearing was held on 15 February, where the committee heard from the Norris cleaning company, Women with Disabilities ACT, the National Foundation for Australian Women, and the ACT Women’s Legal Service. A further public hearing was held on March 2007, where the committee heard from the Youth Coalition of the ACT.
It was brought to the committee’s attention that on-the-job training was an important aspect of skill development that is often underutilised, particularly for low-paid workers. On-the-job training opportunities would enable low-paid workers not only to enhance their skill base but also to improve their future job prospects. In some cases, this could even go as far as to address the problems of skill shortages in some professions. The committee is interested in examining this issue further throughout the inquiry.
Other activities since issuing its interim report in March 2006 have included private briefings from Marie Coleman from the National Foundation for Australian Women and Lyndal Ryan from the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union. The committee visited cleaning staff at the Canberra Hospital and heard directly from a number of the workers there. Serco Sodexho, the company now responsible for all defence cleaning contracts, has been invited to brief the committee.
As well as the public hearings, more workplace visits are planned, as committee members are keen to speak with many employers and employees to hear a variety of views and experiences about the impact of commonwealth industrial relations legislation and other issues on families. The committee will now be issuing its final report in October. I encourage all members of the Assembly and interested stakeholders to contact my office or the committee secretary if they wish to participate, or participate further, in the inquiry.
Freedom of Information Amendment Bill 2006
Detail stage
Remainder of bill, as a whole.
Debate resumed from 8 March 2007.
MR CORBELL (Molonglo—Attorney-General, Minister for Police and Emergency Services and Minister for Planning) (10.36): I seek leave to move together amendments Nos 1 to 4 circulated in my name.
Leave granted.
MR CORBELL: I move amendments Nos 1 to 4 circulated in my name [see schedule 1 at page 491]. I table a supplementary explanatory statement to the amendments.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .