Page 3543 - Week 10 - Tuesday, 25 August 2009
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agreed strategic plan. These reforms have in mind not only the needs of the existing sectors; they include the future integration of the community sector and the future demands and needs of the new authority as it looks towards the future through the prism of unsettled economic times.
This government, the Stanhope Labor government, understands its obligations to achieve the best possible value in the management of the new, integrated authority. The most important aspect of these various portability schemes is that they allow vulnerable workers to accrue and access long service leave where they might otherwise have been unable to do so.
Also, I would like to acknowledge the work undertaken by the scrutiny of bills and subordinate legislation committee, part of the Standing Committee on Justice and Community Safety, whose chair is the absolutely illustrious and bilingual Mrs Vicki Dunne MLA, member for Ginninderra and politician extraordinaire. I acknowledge the work of the scrutiny of bills committee, in spite of her presence on that committee. No, I take that back. She makes a wonderful contribution to the body politic in this place. She adds colour, she adds more colour, and occasionally she adds colour.
But I would also like to acknowledge the work of the scrutiny of bills and subordinate legislation committee and the amendments flowing from their response to the draft bill. I served on that committee for 6½ years, I think, and realised in my service then the value that that part of the justice and safety standing committee can actually play. It is a fantastic role. I would also like to acknowledge, while I am here, the support that that subcommittee actually gets from their advisers, because that is invaluable too.
I would like to turn my attention to the consultation process supporting these reforms and the decisions taken by the two boards to also support the initiatives. It is important to note that the boards of both the construction industry and cleaning industry long service leave authorities are strongly in favour of the provisions contained within this bill and have declared their support for an integrated board structure formally at respective authority board meetings.
In coming to their decision, members of both boards have undertaken consultations with their respective stakeholders and constituents since the government’s decision to establish a new community sector long service leave scheme was announced in the context of the 2008 budget. This decision provided the impetus to seek to rationalise the current two-authority structure. Members of existing boards have reported support amongst employees and employers for an integrated authority structure under one governing board while still retaining the financial integrity of the existing long service leave schemes.
This bill also provides for the achievement of better outcomes for employers and employees in the construction and cleaning industries through administrative savings by having a single piece of legislation, with separate industry schedules detailing the attributes and entitlements relating to each specific scheme, while also maintaining the financial integrity and independence of the specific schemes.
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