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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2003 Week 3 Hansard (23 October) . . Page.. 4069 ..

Occupational health and safety awards

MRS BURKE

(6.10): I would like to bring to the house's attention today the ACT Occupational Health and Safety Awards 2003, held this lunchtime. The event has grown. It has gone from strength to strength, and the room was packed today. I want to give credit and praise to Jocelyn Plovits, the ACT Commissioner, and her team, who did a brilliant job.

I would like to congratulate the sponsors, without whom such awards are not possible. It is a great opportunity to break down barriers between business and the ACT WorkCover body itself, who for some years were seen as waving the big stick. That approach has gone. Nowadays they are a fantastic organisation doing a brilliant job.

I would like to offer sincere congratulations to OzHelp. They won the Occupation Health and Safety Excellence Award. For those who do not know, OzHelp came about through the dogged determination of a mother over the death of her son. It came into existence through a need and desire of the building and construction industry to provide support for new apprentices and trainees. This desire was expressed in the form of an approach to VYNE, a Calvary Health Care program, made by the CFMEU and the MBA of the ACT, asking for assistance.

OzHelp is a new project, whose main aim is to build resilience and enhance the wellbeing of apprentices and trainees in the building and construction industry. I congratulate them again. They are going from strength to strength. I would encourage all businesses to avail themselves of the fantastic service that ACT WorkCover offers, going from door to door. I commend it the Assembly.

Greens senators-protest

Rugby World Cup match

MRS DUNNE

(6.12): I rise today to cover a number of issues-firstly, to continue the theme of my colleague Mr Stefaniak: the shameful behaviour of the Greens in the parliament today. It is interesting that this great advocate of free speech, Bob Brown, can do what he likes when he is a stranger in another part of his parliament, but he does not afford the same courtesy to other people who might criticise him on the public record. In that case, his recourse is to solicitors' letters and threatening people with defamation action. This is pretty much standard for what has happened today.

There is reporting, generally, of the very rowdy, and what have been described by superintendent Bob Gilliland as consistently violent protests, against the visit of George Bush today. Mr Stanhope has lodged his own protest at the visit of Mr Bush while at the same time receiving the hospitality of the parliament to visit with Mr Bush. There is an irony in that. At one time, we are supporting people who have been consistently violent, throwing metal bars, having a number of arrests, breaking through barriers and generally causing havoc-at the same time availing themselves of the hospitality of the Prime Minister.

On another issue of hospitality I was stunned the other day to see that Mr Stanhope was outraged by the fact that he was delayed getting to Canberra Stadium to watch the

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