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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 10 Hansard (24 September) . . Page.. 3235 ..

MS REILLY (continuing):

put up objections and barriers when they have appeared before the Industrial Relations Commission. By allowing this matter to drag on for all this time, the Government is devaluing the workers in the community services field. They are devaluing these people by saying that they are not important enough to have organised working conditions thought through and delivered.

We are talking about workers in a diverse group of areas. We are talking also about a number of different employers. You can end up with people working under quite different conditions in different organisations. This puts a lot of pressure on the workers in the area and it also puts pressure on management boards in this area of work. By allowing this matter to drag on in the way that it has, by not organising the working conditions of people in the community sector, you are also devaluing members of the community who use these services. This surely is against any social justice and social equity principles. You are saying to the people who use these services that the workers in this area are not important enough and valued enough to get decent working conditions and decent salaries and remuneration.

The other implication in all of this is that it suggests a lack of professionalism amongst the workers in the community sector. We are failing to recognise the work that these people have done in this area over a number of years. If you look at the training that has been set up and the training that people have done, this is a sector that has become more professional and more expert as time has gone on. We have definitely moved well away from some sort of lady bountiful system that was working in the nineteenth century. In this sector there are a number of very experienced and expert workers. There are people who have worked hard to ensure that they get qualifications and get the necessary experience, but we will not follow through and play our part by ensuring that they get decent working conditions and have award rates of pay that recognise the work that is done and the expertise and professionalism in this field.

It must also be recognised that the nature of the work attracts many women into the area. Often, women are industrially weaker and paid at a lower rate. This is an appalling situation and should be rectified. This motion is one way in which the Government can show its support for, and recognition of, the work done in the community sector. These people are often very dedicated and committed and are working in this area deliberately because of the satisfaction that can be obtained from working there. We are exploiting this commitment by failing to pay decent wages and by failing to recognise conditions of work. We are exploiting these people's dedication and commitment. It is appalling that we should continue to allow this to happen in the ACT community.

It has been suggested, at times, before the Industrial Relations Commission, that these people get satisfaction out of their work; that they are happy if people say, "Thank you. Job well done". How pathetic! Does saying "thank you" pay your mortgage? Are these people not the same as the rest of us, with mortgages to pay, families to bring up, food to buy and shoes to buy for the kids? By not giving proper recompense for the work done, we are devaluing the workers and not allowing them to enjoy some of the benefits of this community the rest of us do because we have an organised award system.

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