Page 4106 - Week 12 - Tuesday, 22 October 2019
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make a compliance and enforcement policy to increase transparency about the way in which the office carries out its compliance and enforcement activities, including its aims, approach, tools and guidance material.
Transparency and accountability around the funding and resources of the office will be facilitated by the declaration of the office as a separate reporting entity for the purposes of the Financial Management Act 1996. This would mean that the office must produce separate financial statements and budget information which will allow stakeholders to better scrutinise the funding and resources applied to activities undertaken by the office.
To further facilitate the accountability and scrutiny of the office, a number of the documents I have already outlined will be required to be notifiable instruments and tabled in the Legislative Assembly. These include the compliance and enforcement policy, the strategic plan and the government statement of expectations. This provides a critical step for members of the Legislative Assembly and the community to see and make comment on the activities of the regulator.
Technical amendments are also being made under this bill to align schedule 2 of the Work Health and Safety Act with the rest of the act by replacing the term “work safety” with “work health and safety”. While the bill represents a significant step in ensuring the best practice regulation of work health and safety, there is also ongoing work to implement the remaining recommendations of the report. An implementation project team has been established to make sure the operational structure of the regulator will support the new governance model.
This bill creates a governance structure for the regulator that will deliver a clear, independent and well-informed strategic approach to the activities of the office, with appropriate oversight and accountability. It will establish the foundations for the office to become a contemporary regulatory entity that is innovative, flexible, respected and trusted.
I thank the scrutiny committee for its comments on the bill and for drawing members’ attention to the explanatory statement to this bill. This bill is the culmination of a tremendous amount of effort and consultation with all stakeholders and it will lay the foundations to ensure that our regulator is effective into the future, ensuring that territory workers continue to be supported by this government. I commend the bill to the Assembly.
Question resolved in the affirmative.
Bill agreed to in principle.
Detail stage
Clauses 1 to 10, by leave, taken together and agreed to.
Clause 11.
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