Page 563 - Week 03 - Tuesday, 19 May 1992
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are trying to model this legislation across the sector upon the current Public Service Act arrangements, the point of these Bills being to apply similar programs to areas of ACT Government employment that are outside of the Commonwealth Public Service Act but within the public sector.
At the moment there are in force only two sets of regulations which would exempt groups from discrimination and which, on one view, would allow for some form of positive discrimination. One is for a number of specific Aboriginal recruitment programs for which only Aboriginals can apply - in particular, cadetship and technical traineeship programs; that is, entry level training programs for that particular group of the community. I am sure that Mr Humphries would not quibble with that.
The other is an intellectual disability access program which is designed to employ people with intellectual disabilities in open employment. That is a program about which successive ACT governments have been quite enthusiastic, particularly with the Motor Vehicle Registry. On advice from the ACT Government's EEO adviser, they are the only areas in relation to which there could be said to be an element of positive discrimination. I hope that that satisfies Mr Humphries. They are very isolated.
Mr Humphries: If you do not add any more, that is fine.
MR CONNOLLY: It is not the current view to do that. We are talking about entry level programs for Aboriginal people, particularly focusing on training programs, and intellectual disability programs with which I am sure everyone would be happy.
I must deal fairly briefly with two major concerns that were raised by Mr Kaine. Mr Berry's Fire Brigade background seems to worry the Liberal Party; they always sense a conspiracy when they see anything to do with the Fire Brigade. If the Liberal Party headquarters were burning down, one wonders whether they would be happy to let the Fire Brigade in to deal with it or whether they would suspect that Mr Berry was at the bottom of some plot.
The issue that Mr Kaine raised is, I can assure the Assembly, without substance. He was focusing on the way "unjustified discrimination" is described in the Fire Brigade (Administration) (Amendment) Bill, at page 3, referring to the exemptions. Under the Bill, "unjustified discrimination" means:
(a) discrimination that is unlawful under the Discrimination Act 1991; and
(b) unjustified discrimination on the ground of age or social origin;
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