Page 2995 - Week 09 - Wednesday, 12 October 2022
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reforms will build on other major improvements in the way that we are supporting our injured and ill public servants, which have been enabled by the establishment of the public sector workers compensation self-insurer.
We have taken responsibility for end-to-end management of public servants’ workers compensation claims and made a suite of improvements to the claim process. This means we are providing services more quickly, more efficiently and more effectively, and investing more heavily in injury prevention. These improvements have contributed to significant increases in user satisfaction and in a reduction in outstanding claim liabilities.
Finally, this budget invests in our commitment to secure employment in the ACT public service. The ACT government has recognised that casualisation and insecurity in our public service are detrimental to both workers and policy outcomes, and we are committed to providing secure and, where possible, ongoing employment.
In this budget the government has funded its commitment to secure employment and high-quality services for Canberrans through two distinct pieces of work which work together to establish the government’s secure employment package.
The first piece of work is continuation of the secure workforce conversion process. It is a joint union and government process to examine the use of insecure work in the ACT public service. This process has been updated to incorporate the new requirements of the commonwealth Fair Work Act, where casual employees can request conversion to permanent employment in certain circumstances.
The second piece of work is the implementation of the insourcing framework which will evaluate the insourcing and outsourcing of government work. The government’s commitment to insourcing demonstrates the value we place on protecting our public service and secure employment. The insourcing framework is being developed to have a sophisticated approach to analysing proposed government outsourcing of services and work. It will not simply be a matter of deciding on the lowest cost option. It is being designed to include considerations like economic costs and benefits, social costs and benefits, environmental costs and benefits, and the public interest. The framework will also operate to and align with the future direction and priorities of the government, as reflected in the work of the ACT public service. It will also incorporate the government’s ground-breaking wellbeing indicators.
Our commitment to secure employment will see the government maximise our current and future workforce, catering for future change with broad skill sets. Workforce capability, flexibility and mobility are key considerations when building the ACT public service of the future. That is why the government is funding this secure employment package.
In closing, I want to acknowledge the work of UnionsACT and the union movement in keeping workers safe across the territory. The union movement has a proud legacy, and unions in the ACT are building on this. We are leading the world because of union members. I would encourage those listening to join their union, help to protect their colleagues and drive change for the betterment of all.
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