Page 4559 - Week 12 - Thursday, 15 October 2009

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(7) calls on the Government to make representatives of ACTEW Corporation and the Bulk Water Alliance available to provide a detailed briefing to Members in relation to the project documentation and the project overall.”.

Debate (on motion by Mr Corbell) adjourned to a later hour.

Executive business—precedence

Ordered that executive business be called on.

Long Service Leave (Community Sector) Amendment Bill 2009

Debate resumed from 17 September 2009, on motion by Mr Hargreaves:

That this bill be agreed to in principle.

Motion (by Mr Corbell) agreed to:

That order of the day No 1, executive business, relating to the Long Service Leave (Community Sector) Amendment Bill 2009, be postponed until a later hour this day.

Workers Compensation (Default Insurance Fund) Amendment Bill 2009 (No 2)

Debate resumed from 17 September 2009, on motion by Mr Hargreaves:

That this bill be agreed to in principle.

MRS DUNNE (Ginninderra) (11.56): The opposition will support this bill which seeks to limit the circumstances in which principal contractors can seek indemnity from the default insurance fund for an uninsured contractor, redefine the purpose of the fund and introduce some administrative efficiency and transparency measures.

Probably the most important element of this bill is to ensure that its first priority is to protect the needs of workers. It provides a safety net to ensure that people who are injured in the course of their employment have access to adequate workers compensation cover.

Since 2006, when a number of amendments were made seeking to create efficiencies within the administration of the Workers Compensation Act, certain unintended consequences arose. Those unintended consequences primarily related to the contractual arrangements whereby a principal contractor would seek indemnity from the government for a subcontractor who did not have insurance.

This bill removes that loophole. It limits access to the fund by a principal only when the principal has an insurance policy in force that applies to an injured employee of a subcontractor, but the insurer cannot provide the required indemnity or has been wound up.


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