Page 518 - Week 02 - Tuesday, 23 February 2010
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In those circumstances, if the Fair Work Act, the Victorian discrimination act and other pieces of legislation around the country use this term—use it without difficulty and use it without any impact in terms of what we have previously understood this ground to be—I do not believe that employer groups here should harbour those worries.
The government will not be supporting the amendments.
MR RATTENBURY (Molonglo) (4.19): As I have flagged earlier, the Greens will not be supporting Mr Seselja’s amendments. We believe that the inclusion of amendments in relation to “industrial activity” are amendments that have been identified by the Human Rights Commission and that reflect both commonwealth and Victorian legislation, so there is precedence and consistency there. We believe that it is important that discrimination in relation to both participation and non-participation in industrial activity should be outlawed; the government amendment does seek to achieve that, and we believe that it effectively achieves that in the way that it has been worded.
The last comment I want to make is that the amended definition proposed by the government moves beyond just the membership of an employee or an employer group and includes those things listed, such as participating in a lawful activity organised by an industry group. Again, I think that broadening of the definition and that clarification of what is involved and what cannot be discriminated against are a valuable addition as well. On that basis, we believe that the provision put in the bill by the government is an appropriate one.
Amendments negatived.
Bill, as a whole, agreed to.
Bill agreed to.
Surveyors Amendment Bill 2009
Debate resumed from 10 December 2009, on motion by Mr Barr:
That this bill be agreed to in principle.
MR SESELJA (Molonglo—Leader of the Opposition) (4.21): The opposition will be supporting this bill.
The bill makes amendments to the Surveyors Act 2007, which provides the regulatory framework for surveying in the ACT. The act establishes the position of Chief Surveyor and sets out the functions of that position.
I note that, according to the bill’s explanatory statement, this bill includes a number of amendments to address operational deficiencies and to better align the legislation with recent developments in New South Wales.
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