Page 147 - Week 01 - Wednesday, 9 February 2022
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an essential mechanism for ensuring that ACT government agencies do not repeatedly contract with noncompliant entities while potential issues are being investigated.
The bill also adjusts the current settings to submit labour relations training and workplace equity plans. The bill amends section 22G of the act so that a plan must be submitted for territory-funded construction work with a value of $200,000 or more instead of $25,000. This change will reduce the burden on businesses tendering for lower-value works contracts with the territory. The threshold will remain at $25,000 or more for security, cleaning and traffic management procurements.
The amendments also seek to place greater focus on compliance with commitments in labour relations training and workplace equity plans for tenderers that have previously engaged with the territory under a contract for territory-funded work when submitting their tender responses for new contracts. The bill also makes an adjustment to include rights of appeal for complainants. Currently, the act only allows for code entities to appeal a ruling against them with no right of reply or access for the complainant. This legislation changes this to give them equal rights to appeal a decision of the registrar.
I also want to foreshadow a minor and technical amendment which I will be moving at the detail stage. If agreed, this amendment will defer commencement of the bill to 1 March 2022.
Mr Assistant Speaker, the measures in this bill will strengthen the code. There was also significant funding allocated in the 2021-22 budget to support and grow the secure local jobs code branch and respond to the administrative, governance and resourcing recommendations from the review.
I am extremely pleased that the secure local jobs code will continue to grow and strengthen under this government. I was incredibly proud to be part of the government that introduced the code back in 2019. I will be disappointed if the Canberra Liberals do not provide tripartisan support for the bill; but I think, as we have heard, they are going to support it. When we introduced the bill last year, my office, along with Minister Steel’s office and our officials, provided a briefing on the bill to the opposition. This was an opportunity for those opposite to engage with the bill.
The bill will have a real impact on workplace safety. If there is an enduring lesson of the pandemic, it is that our economy and society must be built on safe and secure jobs. I talk about secure jobs a lot in this chamber, but that is because I am part of a government that cares about workplace safety. We know that secure jobs are safe jobs.
Secure jobs mean that people can manage debt and plan for the future. It means they can get loans and take time off to care for their families. The pandemic has shown us how important a safe workplace is. It is important not just for workers and their families but also the wider community and the economy. Everyone benefits from safe and secure jobs.
This bill today is just one way that this government is keeping workplaces in the ACT safe and providing opportunities to expand the benefits of secure work in the community. The government wants to work with businesses that treat their workers
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