Page 1206 - Week 05 - Tuesday, 11 May 1993
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MR DE DOMENICO: If it is not, it should be. In the ACT it is 10; in New South Wales it is 20; in Queensland it is 30. Where is the uniformity in that? We are the only one that is not uniform with everybody else. Then you talk about the fact that nothing was done besides what was done by the first Follett Government. The first Follett Government, let me tell you, said that a designated work group ought to be 20. But the second Follett Government has changed its mind. You said that it ought to be 10.
Mr Lamont: Progress.
MR DE DOMENICO: Oh, progress! Mr Berry then talks about national consistency of workers compensation. That is fine; that is a great statement too - national consistency of workers compensation. You said in this house last February, for example, that you are creating an atmosphere in which workers compensation premiums in the ACT are going to go down even further because you are creating a great atmosphere in which the private sector insurers - - -
Mr Berry: And it hurts you, does it not?
MR DE DOMENICO: No, it does not hurt, because you have not let me finish what I have to say. The private sector insurers here, whom you authorise and license to operate and underwrite workers compensation, are flourishing. If you are fair dinkum about that, why did the Chief Minister, in the second breath, about 10 minutes ago, tell us that Comcare will continue to underwrite workers compensation for our new ACT public service? If you are really fair dinkum about making it flourishing for the local industry so that the money stays here in the ACT, why do you not allow the private insurers, whom you license, the 13 of them in the ACT, to at least give a quote on underwriting workers compensation for our own public service? Once again you say one thing and the Chief Minister does another. I think you have to make up your mind which way it is going to be.
As I said, Madam Speaker, I am not going to take too much longer because we have heard all this before, both from Mr Berry and from me. He says things like "harmonisation of workers compensation systems". He says different things at different times in this house from what he said today. It is all well and good going to this conference every three or six months; but, really, it seems to me that the ACT Government is the only one that is different from the consensus that is going on in the rest of the country. You are saying one thing and then, when there is an electricity dispute here in the ACT, it is because of your meddling, in particular, as Minister for Industrial Relations, and that you cannot get your politics right and your factions right.
MR BERRY (Minister for Health, Minister for Industrial Relations and Minister for Sport) (3.46), in reply: What a diatribe! What misinformation! I made it clear in my speech, Mr De Domenico - if you were truthful on this subject you would agree with me - that the issue on occupational health and safety was the issue of how we implement the occupational health and safety standards which are declared by the National Occupational Health and Safety Commission. That is what I said. Do not try to mislead the members of the ACT community or members of this Assembly by the sorts of things that you said about our occupational health and safety legislation. Our occupational health and safety legislation has been established in an environment which not only will lead to better conditions for employees in the ACT, and a safer working place, but also will lead to better things for employers.
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