Page 652 - Week 03 - Tuesday, 23 March 1993
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The amendments to the Long Service Leave (Building and Construction Industry) Act are positive for both workers and employers. The levy will be abolished for apprentices, making it easier to take them on. That is a sensible move. Labor does it again. It is still on the program and it will be completed. Unlike the Liberals, who achieve nothing, Labor will achieve something. The percentage of the levy that goes towards training will be counted as a contribution to the training guarantee levy. The long service leave provisions will be extended to cover part-time workers. We are concerned about the protection of workers - something that the Liberals opposite are not concerned about. They continue to attack workers and their organisations.
Mrs Carnell: How much will that cost?
MR BERRY: Even now they interject, exposing themselves as maintaining the hidden agenda which the Liberals nationally have said they might have to discard if they want to get elected again. They have to have more concern about issues of social justice. But they never will, because of their background. As I have said, legislation to control boxing in the ACT will be introduced. That was another election commitment and will bring boxing legislation into line with that which exists across the border.
Mr Cornwell: Wow!
MR BERRY: Somebody says, "Wow", because they just do not care about issues which are of concern to - - -
Mr Cornwell: How many jobs, Mr Berry?
MR BERRY: What it is about is saving people from damaging injury which would be a burden on society for the rest of their days. In other areas the Government will be introducing additional food legislation and, further down the track, smoke-free indoor environment legislation, amendments to the Workers' Compensation Act, ACT racing legislation and sports drug testing legislation - all important issues of social justice - just to name a few. There have been many hollow claims by the Liberals that this Government is inactive and a "do nothing" government, but they have never been able to back up their claim. This is a proactive government which is about improving the lifestyle of Canberrans - workers, businesses, retired people, everybody. Labor is about doing something - not just sitting on the opposition benches, where members opposite belong, carping about the successes of a Labor government. We are doing something.
Labor has won a Federal election and it will be much easier for us to achieve better things for Canberra in the light of that electoral victory. I think most people in the ACT, of course, recognised how the Liberals were about to undo Canberra and what significant damage they were going to do. That is why there were significant gains in the levels of support for ACT Labor candidates. People know that Labor is about protecting society - not protecting just individual parts of society, but protecting the lot. You have to have socially just laws. If you do not have socially just laws, the community will fall apart. The Liberals do not care about that. All they seem to be concerned about is ensuring higher profits to some of the people that they claim to represent, and, of course, making it harder for workers out there to do well in society. They wanted to create an "us and them" society. They still are of that view. You only have to listen to the interjections to know where they are coming from.
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