Page 2096 - Week 06 - Tuesday, 8 May 2012
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The Canberra Liberals will not be supporting the bill because we do not believe in the notion of portability of long service leave and we do not believe that it is appropriate to put such impositions on business and put employment at risk. I condemn the government for its shoddy work and I condemn the bill for the pain that it will cause to industry and future employment in the industry.
MS BRESNAN (Brindabella) (11.20): The Greens support the extension of portable long service leave to the security industry and we support this bill. I do have an amendment which I will be moving later.
My office has had the opportunity to meet with ACT security workers on a number of occasions. The Greens believe that extending portable long service leave entitlements to this industry is a benefit that has been a long time coming for an industry that is very deserving.
The Greens believe in giving a fair go to Canberrans who are doing it tough. I must say I find it quite extraordinary and contradictory that the Liberals refuse to support this portable long service leave scheme. Every time we have seen legislation come before the Assembly that is about making Canberrans’ working lives better, the Liberals oppose it. As we have talked about before, portable long service leave is about rewarding loyalty.
If we want to talk about people who are doing it tough, the individuals and their families in the security industry are a perfect example. There is no stronger example of individuals and families who are doing it tough, working on low wages at irregular hours, which has an impact on people and their family lives. What this is about is giving them time with their family. That is why we are supporting this today.
I would like to read out some of the correspondence from ACT security workers about the difficulties of their job. One says:
Security guards in the ACT are very poorly paid. A lot of guards are working more hours and I personally know of guards that work another job to make ends meet. The long service entitlement is the only chance some guards have to save some money as our wages have not kept up with the cost of living. A guard has to work four hours (half a day) to pay for one visit to a doctor.
Another security worker wrote:
I have to work ridiculous hours consisting of nightshift and weekend work for this company in order to provide for my family. I literally live from fortnight to fortnight.
These are the type of people whose conditions we are trying to improve through this legislation—people who have to work for four hours to pay for one visit to the doctor or who literally have to live fortnight to fortnight. We are talking about workers who are often already doing it tough, on low pay and long hours. They deserve better conditions, and portable long service leave is one important step to providing this.
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