Page 1250 - Week 04 - Thursday, 7 April 2016
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We seem to have a government that is using the just-in-time format of tabling legislation in one sitting week and then attempting to pass it in the next sitting week. That would mean that these changes will occur in the May sitting with very little public discussion or consideration of the bill, which is a genuine flaw in the government’s approach to legislation. It excludes more people than it includes. The government is very keen, and has been over the years, to consult with a peak body or one group in relation to most issues rather than talking genuinely with all of those concerned.
For those who did not hear the speech, the scheme will extend into not just aged care but those who work in the recycling industry. It will see that the aged care people are covered by the community sector. There is a lot of consideration in the community as to whether that should be the case or, indeed, whether or not there should be a special aged care part of the scheme.
With those issues in mind, I think it is important that we get this right. There seems to be a move now just to continually extend long service leave schemes to every industry. When it started with the construction industry it was on the basis that as a construction worker you often did not get a chance to accrue the required number of years of service before you could access long service leave because jobs shut down and companies change very quickly.
The aged care industry, on the other hand, is the antithesis of that. It is a very well established industry. The firms tend to be there for a long period of time and my understanding is that the stability of employment is well over 80 per cent. So the reasons that one might assume you would extend portable long service leave provisions to aged care apparently do not exist. I and others received a letter from the chamber earlier this week. They have raised serious concerns. I will read one paragraph:
If such a Scheme is introduced, the Aged Care sector must have its own portable scheme covering Residential and Homecare. The Industry’s position is that the proposed aged-care sector scheme not be subsumed into the current Community Sector Portable LSL Scheme.
If you have such a fundamental concern at the start of the process, then we need to get it right. I have spoken to members and made the case. I suspect that the Greens or the Labor Party will not support this. They are saying that they will let the minister talk to those who are concerned and that we can do it by amendment. I think that is based on an assumption that you can actually come to a conclusion.
I think what you actually need to do is broaden the discussion, whether it be with the employees or the employers: the people who are actually at the coalface on this. One of the things you do not want to do in aged care is make it transitory where people come and go. Those of us with older parents and those of us who know people in their later years know that one of the things that they like is stability. What you want to do is encourage people to stay. I have some concerns that by including this particularly in the community sector portable long service scheme it may have an adverse effect. But I think we need to find that out.
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