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

Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2003 Week 13 Hansard (27 November) . . Page.. 4870 ..

MR BERRY (continuing):

message in an attempt to create a different culture about workplace safety. We cannot continue to have a situation where some people think it is all right to have dangerous workplaces, and this is the strongest message that I could think of.

All of this hasn't occurred principally because one person in the Labor Party had a bright idea about occupational health and safety; it is about a movement which is concerned about workplaces. Happily, in this Assembly we have been supported by progressive members, like the members who are supporting us today, over time as we have improved the workplace safety of the people we claim to represent.

As we approached the last election, my colleagues supported a promise to introduce legislation to create the crime of industrial manslaughter. In the environment of an election, that is not always the right sort of promise to be making, and there was some apprehension about it. But my colleagues courageously supported that, because it was consistent with the long traditions of the Labor Party. Here we are today because of their continuing commitment to this legislation. I would especially like to acknowledge my colleague Simon Corbell, who first started work on this matter, and Katy Gallagher, who is now at the sharp end and has had to deal with some of the hard work that goes with this sort of progressive legislation.

But I would also like to acknowledge the person who assisted me in putting together the recommendation to the Labor caucus which led to that promise, and that was a fellow called John Charchalis. John is in the gallery today. He is a good Labor comrade and one who supports the sorts of things that those of us who are concerned about workplace safety have continued to support. I would just like to acknowledge the work that he put into assisting me to bring that matter to the Labor Caucus. I merely want to point out that it is not just one or two people that do these things; there's a whole lot of work going on underneath the water out there among people who are concerned about workplace safety.

But it is not only confined to unions and to politicians; there are some very good people out there in the business world who are working on this as well, who want to make sure that their businesses are safe, who want to make sure that everybody else's businesses are safe as well. You have got to acknowledge that those people are making a major contribution. But sometimes it is hard for them if there are others out there who are prepared to play some politics with this and mislead not only their business colleagues and sometimes the memberships of their organisations but the community as well.

This is not something to be frightened of. This is a logical step to deal with the issue of workplace deaths. It is something that we have to have the courage to stick with, and I am sure we will. In my view, it is also something that we can be very proud of if we are able to pass this legislation today and it serves as a measure for other people in other places.

I can't criticise other jurisdictions because they probably haven't had the fortune to have as progressive a legislature as we have had here in the ACT over many years on industrial issues. It has been generally progressive. There have been times when it has wobbled a little bit, and there have been some arguments across the floor, as there is today, about the appropriateness of this legislation.

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