Page 3424 - Week 08 - Thursday, 23 August 2012
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high safety standards; through allocation of specific funding for a dedicated asbestos coordinator position, continue to work through the Asbestos Regulators Forum to ensure a proactive regulatory and policy approach to asbestos management; address recommendations stemming from the national reviews into the Fair Work Act and asbestos management; and continue to participate in national projects led by Safe Work Australia which are intended to maximise coordination and harmonisation of workers compensation schemes across the country, improving compensation outcomes for injured workers and streamlining requirements for business.
We will continue to work as stakeholders to ensure that any proposals for improvement to the private sector workers compensation scheme deliver an affordable system for employers, fair treatment of injured workers, improved performance of scheme providers and an effective governance and management regime for the scheme; continue our work with stakeholders to develop a robust, transparent and accessible framework against which Work Safety ACT can conduct compliance orders of the insurers who underwrite the ACT private sector workers compensation scheme; address recommendations that may stem from Safe Work Australia’s review of the treatment of dust diseases across the various workers compensation schemes in Australia; continue to work with stakeholders to ensure that any proposals for improvement to the private sector workers compensation scheme deliver an affordable system for employers, fair treatment of injured workers, improved performance of scheme providers and an effective governance and management regime for the scheme.
We will undertake a review of public holiday legislation in the territory and, finally, continue to participate in the national review to address workplace bullying and to consider any recommendations stemming from the ACT’s Workplace Bullying Advisory Committee.
Proposed expenditure agreed to.
Proposed expenditure—Part 1.4—Health Directorate—$365,860,000 (net cost of outputs), $237,882,000 (capital injection) and $746,000 (payments on behalf of the territory), totalling $604,488,000.
MADAM ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Mrs Dunne): The Assembly has agreed that we would set aside 60 minutes for this part of the debate.
MR HANSON (Molonglo) (4.46): I rise today to talk about our health budget. It is enormous. It is the largest component of the ACT’s budget. As members would be aware, I have had much to say about the health system that we have here in the ACT and, there is no question, disagreements that I have had with the health minister and with the Greens’ spokesperson for health.
But one thing that we all agree on is the magnificent work that is done by those within our health system who work in a very difficult environment, under very high pressure, meeting significant demand. Although I have provided the opposition’s role in critiquing, holding the government to account where I considered there were failings in the system, I agree wholeheartedly with the Chief Minister, and, I am sure, the
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