Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .

Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2001 Week 10 Hansard (28 August) . . Page.. 3435 ..

Mr Smyth: You are so distasteful when you do that, and you know that it is wrong.

MR BERRY: I go back to something you said in your early documentation. You compared an injured worker to a hired car. Do not wince when I draw your attention to that. You are the one who drew the comparison. You are the one who describes people as a resource. Mr Speaker, this is merely fair play for older worker who get hurt.

MR SMYTH (Minister for Urban Services, Minister for Business, Tourism and the Arts and Minister for Police and Emergency Services) (9.26): Mr Speaker, I have just consulted with staff. The other anomaly that Mr Berry does not address is that workers under this legislation-if it is passed-have to comply with a return-to-work plan. So you have to return to work even though you have retired. It is illogical. Mr Berry is making bad law, as he often does.

MR BERRY: I seek leave to speak again.

Leave granted.

MR BERRY: Mr Speaker, it does not say "retires". It says "reaches pension age". You do not have to retire. It does not say anything about retiring. There are workers who keep going at 65. We have such a worker here in Mr Kaine.

Mr Stanhope: Just imagine if Mr Kaine had to go at 64 and 11 months.

MR BERRY: We would have lost the benefit of his skill, care and attention in this place years ago, and you would have lost the benefit of his skill, care, attention and advice years ago.

Mr Speaker, this is not about workers who retire. This is about workers who reach pension age, pension age being 65 years. You are suggesting that all workers retire at 65. They do not.

Mr Smyth: Some retire earlier.

MR BERRY: Some retire earlier, but they would not get injured at work if they retired earlier. That is the point we are trying to make. This is unbelievable. Of course they can go through all those processes. I do not mind if they get injured just before pension age. Your job is to get them well again.

Question put:

Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .