Page 1531 - Week 06 - Thursday, 2 July 2020
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I conclude by supporting Mr Gupta’s calls on the ACT government to support flexible working arrangements for ACT public servants where it suits them and their directorates. I also support the call for the Chief Minister to engage with the commonwealth government to extend these opportunities to our commonwealth public service counterparts. We have seen that flexible working arrangements are possible and can even save us time and money, so we should definitely explore what is possible to afford a greater number of people the opportunities we have experienced in recent times which have the potential to become part of our permanent working arrangements.
MS ORR (Yerrabi—Minister for Community Services and Facilities, Minister for Disability, Minister for Employment and Workplace Safety and Minister for Government Services and Procurement) (4.04): Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the ACT government has been focused on protecting our community, including working Canberrans. We know that COVID-19 continues to present serious risks to work health and safety, which is why our government is responding with necessary guidance and support to our ACT public servants, as well as to all workers in the ACT.
The Work Health and Safety Act 2011 requires that employers take all reasonable action to protect their employees and others in the workplace from health and safety hazards. For COVID-19 this means action to address the risk of contracting the virus and the risks associated with changes to working arrangements that are made in response to the pandemic—for example, requiring and allowing staff to work from home where they did not previously do so.
COVID-19 risks and restrictions are changing and are likely to do so for some time to come. In response, the ACT public service has been continually assessing the evolving COVID-19 restrictions and preparing for what this means for operational requirements, productivity and workplaces. The ACT public service has ensured that safety principles to manage COVID-19 risks have been incorporated into these changed processes for work and workplaces. Many operational service delivery areas have continued to operate during the COVID-19 emergency, albeit with improved safety controls, whereas other business areas have withdrawn from their usual places of work to reduce COVID-19 exposure risks.
ACT government workplaces and employees are preparing for the possibility that there will be cases of COVID-19 in the workplace and will be ready to respond immediately, appropriately, effectively, efficiently and in a way that is consistent with advice from health authorities. A suite of guidance materials to assist the ACT public service to discharge safety responsibilities while responding to the pandemic has been prepared, in consultation with WHS experts, and distributed to all workplaces. This has included resources to assist workplaces to prepare for and implement work from home arrangements where appropriate, including: enabling information technology; ensuring a healthy and safe work set-up; monitoring the wellbeing of staff; and maintaining social connections.
These materials have assisted the ACT public service to facilitate a coordinated, consistent and WHS-compliant response to the public health emergency. By ensuring
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