Page 3767 - Week 11 - Tuesday, 24 September 2019

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allow the tribunal to remove the civil dispute and fair work matter together to the Magistrates Court for resolution. This new process will allow matters that revolve around the same issues to be heard together. Running matters together in this way will increase the efficiency of resolving disputes in both the tribunal and the court.

As I mentioned on its introduction, the bill also contains amendments to support the government’s efforts to hold corporations criminally responsible when they breach work health and safety laws. The bill amends the Magistrates Court Act, the Crimes Act, the Work Health and Safety Act and the Confiscation of Criminal Assets Act in a range of legal issues involved in the prosecution of corporations. As a result of the provisions that this bill will introduce, as Minister Orr has spoken about, corporations may be committed to the Supreme Court for trial on indictment, just like individuals. These amendments will ensure that when corporations commit criminal work safety breaches, the proceeds of those crimes can be seized under the ACT’s confiscation of criminal assets legislation.

The government is committed to providing accessible justice to all Canberrans and making each person’s engagement with the justice system as efficient and as effective as possible. Together the measures in this bill are aimed at providing further protection to our workers, most notably our young and vulnerable, through ensuring that they can enforce their rights in a forum that promotes the timely, inexpensive and informal resolution of their dispute.

Through the amendments contained in the bill, the government has shown its commitment to delivering stronger protections for workers. Because of that, I commend the bill to the Assembly.

Question resolved in the affirmative.

Bill agreed to in principle.

Leave granted to dispense with the detail stage.

Bill agreed to.

Health Amendment Bill 2019

Debate resumed from 15 August 2019, on motion by Ms Stephen-Smith:

That this bill be agreed to in principle.

MS LAWDER (Brindabella) (11.38): The opposition will be supporting the Health Amendment Bill 2019. It is intended to reduce regulatory red tape for nurse practitioners by including nurse practitioners as a class of health practitioners that may be reviewed and credentialed for clinical privileges by a scope of clinical practice committee. Nurse practitioners play an important role in our health system. By undertaking additional studies, nurse practitioners can practise in specialist areas and, as such, they can provide patient care in an advanced and extended clinical role.


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