Page 1433 - Week 08 - Tuesday, 26 September 1989
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MR STEFANIAK (4.19): Like Mr Moore, I have been very concerned about the progress of the Occupational Health and Safety Bill. This was one of the pieces of legislation on which the ALP went to the electorate as being absolutely essential legislation that must be brought in immediately. When this Assembly first sat, it was one of the first Bills proposed by the Government and the Government was so keen to see it implemented that it wanted the committee set up to inquire into it to have only 28 days to do so. That was a very complex piece of legislation. It had a rather chequered history and it was a piece of legislation that was quite lengthy - over 50 pages.
A large number of people made submissions and the committee did bring in its report within a short period of time - I believe about 35 days in the end, because of the urgency of the matter. I think no-one in this house could dispute that health and safety in the workplace are crucial to the well-being of both employers and workers in the Territory. But the Government, once it got a committee recommendation that it did not like, seems to have gone very cold on the Bill. Indeed, the Chief Minister earlier today indicated to this house that the trade unions do not like it any more. It has not got what they want in it and therefore the Government does not want to push it. I would certainly like to see the Occupational Health and Safety Bill debated during this week and, with the relevant amendments, brought into legislation. The Government has done a complete backflip on this issue, which was one of the major planks in its election program.
Let me turn to the matter in point, the actual paper and the agreement reached between the ACT Community and Health Service and the relevant unions in relation to the hospital area. They appear to have come up with their own arrangements for occupational health and safety. My colleague Mr Humphries will speak in relation to the situation in the Canberra hospitals, which do not have a very happy industrial relations record. I think there are a couple of points in relation to this agreement which we should be a little bit wary about and it will be fascinating to see how it operates in practice. I am not terribly confident. Indeed, there are a number of points the committee and certainly people on this side of the house were concerned with which we do not want to see in the Occupational Health and Safety Bill that will be debated. It is listed as order of the day No. 2.
Firstly, I suppose it is commendable that the hospitals, the Community and Health Service and relevant unions have at least got together and introduced an agreement for occupational health and safety in the workplace, in the hospital. Certainly, if there is goodwill on all sides it will work. Anything can be made to work with goodwill. There are a number of very positive points and arrangements set out in that Bill and I commend the participants for that.
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