Page 1595 - Week 05 - Thursday, 5 May 2016
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on procurement. Mr Barr has since tabled information about the MOU—how it was created and how it is used. This was all tabled in the Assembly, and members can go through all of that information if they are interested.
Opposition members interjecting—
Mr Gentleman: Point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. During Mr Rattenbury’s speech we have had interjections again from Mr Doszpot and Mrs Jones, even after your warning.
Mrs Jones: Well, we weren’t told not to interject. We were asked to be respectful.
MADAM DEPUTY SPEAKER: Mrs Jones, add interjection to that instruction to yourself, thank you. Mr Barr.
Mr Barr: Madam Deputy Speaker, the interjection from Mr Doszpot implied corruption on the part of Mr Rattenbury, and he should withdraw.
MADAM DEPUTY SPEAKER: Without hearing it, if there was any reference to corrupt activity, Mr Doszpot, I ask that you withdraw.
Mr Doszpot: I withdraw the comment, “How much did you get, Shane?”
MADAM DEPUTY SPEAKER: There is no explanation; you just withdraw, thank you, Mr Doszpot. Mr Rattenbury.
MR RATTENBURY: I invite members to reflect on what are the suspicious parts in that tabled information, and everybody can see that there are not any. It is plain from reading the MOU that its intent is to ensure that government procurement appropriately emphasises workers’ rights and workers’ safety. Probably about 90 per cent of the MOU reiterates the existing laws and procurement requirements that already operate in the ACT.
The government also has MOUs with other entities. Its MOU with ACT clubs has been discussed quite a lot recently, and I suspect it will get a run again this afternoon. There is an MOU with the Canberra Airport. There is nothing inherently wrong with having an MOU with an important stakeholder, and unions are an important stakeholder. They represent workers, and their close involvement with both employers and employees makes them a knowledgeable and useful stakeholder in procurement assessments.
It is clear that the Canberra Liberals have some kind of obsession with anything to do with unions. They see it as a vehicle for gaining political mileage. So even though we have a benign document her e in this MOU, they have to play it up as much as they can. One can make all the implications they wish or dream up all the sinister scenarios they wish, but that is not what this MOU is and it is not how it operates. No amount of bluster or political chicanery changes that.
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