Page 429 - Week 04 - Tuesday, 27 June 1989
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Labour Council. I will not pursue that question at this stage, but I hope the Government thinks about that and decides whether that is an appropriate course of action for other Bills.
Mr Speaker, I want to raise briefly a couple of other points on this Bill. I have referred already to paragraph (h) of subclause (8)(1) which deals with the authority having the function to promote equity in access to training opportunities. It is interesting, Mr Speaker, that there is some difference of view perhaps from different sides of this chamber as to what equity means in relation to access to training opportunities. Certainly we have some indication of what the Government means by equity. I think it is true to say the Opposition would understand why the phrase "equity in access to training opportunities" is the complete equality, certainly as far as men and women are concerned, of access to those facilities.
In other words, a person who it is proposed should have access should be appointed to a training position, should enjoy a contract to be trained, and should enjoy that access with complete disregard to his or her sex. I sincerely hope that that is the approach that the Government seeks to take in this matter; I say that deliberately. It is a question not merely of what the authority might care to do or say on this area, but also of what the Government cares to impose by way of direction.
I refer the Assembly to clause 10, subclause (1) of the Bill which provides:
The Minister may, in writing, give the Authority directions in relation to the policy the Authority is to pursue in connection with the exercise of its powers or the performance of its functions.
Given what the Chief Minister has said on previous occasions about her preference for the appointment of women, I sincerely hope that we do not see an authority given by the relevant Minister to the authority that it is to pursue some course of action in the appointment of people to training positions which is at variance to what I have articulated as the interpretation we take of equity in access to training opportunities.
I, like Dr Kinloch, also share some concern about the age limit imposed under clause 16 of the Bill. I certainly agree that it is a little incongruous that the Bill should talk about equity and access and at the same time talk about restricting the capacity of a person over the age of 65 to sit on the authority.
I should point out this is not a question of imposing some restriction on a person to work. We are not talking about a person being able to hold some position of employment over the age of 65. This is a position on an authority. It is an advisory body in large part. I am sure that its
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