Page 409 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 24 February 1993
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I need to say a few more things about the Liberals on the issue of occupational health and safety. I will get to the debate about the issue later on, but in relation to the urgency of this Bill we need to understand where the Liberals are coming from. The Liberals have indicated nationally that they will abolish Worksafe Australia.
Mr Kaine: On a point of order, Madam Speaker: I understand that we are debating the question of whether this Bill should be dealt with as an urgent Bill. I suggest that the Minister confine his remarks to that question.
MR BERRY: Yes, I will; I promise.
MADAM SPEAKER: I believe that Mr Berry has taken your point of order, Mr Kaine.
MR BERRY: It is significant that this matter be dealt with quickly and concisely. We are in a Federal election campaign and there ought to be no mistake about what this Assembly intends. The Federal Liberals have said that they will abolish Worksafe Australia. These Liberals opposite support that view. This is participation by the Liberals opposite in the dismantling of occupational health and safety standards for Australian workers. That is what this entire campaign is about. That is why we need to ensure that out there in the community there is stability in the way we deal with occupational health and safety in the ACT.
Madam Speaker, $50,000 was put aside by this Government to ensure that the structures that are in place in relation to occupational health and safety as a result of the law that was passed last October are implemented in a consultative framework. There has been broad agreement and long consultation between my Office of Occupational Health and Safety and employers. There is broad agreement to advertising being placed in employers' magazines to facilitate the introduction of these new occupational health and safety laws on 1 July. Employers are moving along in the structure which has been developed by Labor. We have a big investment in occupational health and safety in the ACT. We have a big investment because there are great returns, returns that I will talk about later on in the debate.
The people of the ACT know about this. The Assembly has made a decision in relation to it. The decision of the Assembly is clear and overwhelming. Employers are working with government to ensure that the transition to different standards in the workplace is smooth, and my office has committed much of its resources to that transition. It is necessary to ensure that there is stability and out there in the workplace a clear understanding of where we are heading on occupational health and safety, and that is why it is urgent.
MR KAINE (Leader of the Opposition) (11.09): Mr Berry defeated his own arguments by his own words. He talked about legislation that was put in place only last October, and he was right, but it was put in over the objection of the Opposition in this Assembly and it was put in over the objection of the employers in this Territory. That was done only in October, and in February of this year Mr Berry starts talking about uniform laws. What he is on about is that everybody else has to be uniform with him. He is anticipating the debate about what uniformity will be, and he wants to impose on the ACT a new standard that is not uniform with anybody else. He wants to be out of step with everybody else.
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