Page 5710 - Week 15 - Thursday, 10 December 2009
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to sit down and discuss a mutually beneficial contract. The federal Liberal opposition fail to understand that the experience of Work Choices does not mean that an employee and employer sit down and negotiate in a fair give and take. Rather, it means that some employers can use individual contracts as an ultimatum to remove conditions, pay and fair access to employee representatives.
What does this mean for OH&S here in Canberra? Well, under the scenario if this policy is reintroduced, it hampers the ability of unions to investigate alleged breaches of health and safety on site. Whilst, as I have mentioned, there are substantial problems with the fair work legislation, it has reintroduced rights of unions to conduct proper investigations of breaches. Removing unions again could well lead to some irresponsible employees concealing health and safety breaches.
The Greens believe that progressive unions can indeed sit down with responsible employers and reach mutually beneficial outcomes in a respectful manner. We believe health and safety is best delivered by cooperation of workers and employers, together with proactive and regular auditing by government. We believe that government should not use discriminatory laws that affect the law-abiding majority to pursue the minority that abuse their power.
I will also just briefly refer to recent cases of asbestos exposure in the ACT and reinforce the need for an asbestos register here in the ACT, which the government have indicated they will establish and I would hope that this proceeds. I also recognise the review which is happening of WorkCover and hope that this also looks into issues of capacity, particularly the capacity to deal with a serious incident such as asbestos exposure, and we will be keen to see the results of the review when that does happen and also how the terms of reference will be applied.
The issue of occupational health and safety is one of paramount importance for all working Canberrans. The act of work is the driver of the economy and the act that most people will spend the majority of their lives performing. It is therefore of paramount importance that work occurs in a safe environment. The ACT Greens believe a balance can and should be struck between workers and their employers, and we look forward to making occupational health and safety continuously better into the future.
MS GALLAGHER (Molonglo—Deputy Chief Minister, Treasurer, Minister for Health and Minister for Industrial Relations) (3.29): I thank Ms Bresnan for raising today’s matter of public importance. The issue of health and safety in the workforce is one of significant importance to this government and one that will continue to be at the forefront of our action and attention. I think when you look back over the last eight years or so, you will see that there have been a number of pieces of legislative reform not only in this area of occupational health and safety and reform—and it is continuing; we have got a bill coming on just after this debate and one that passed in October—but also in areas such as industrial manslaughter where legislation was introduced by this government a number of years ago.
There can be nothing more important than ensuring that workers are provided with a working environment that is safe and healthy, that protects workers from illness and injury and that provides for each person’s physical and psychological needs. As I have
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