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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2003 Week 13 Hansard (27 November) . . Page.. 4875 ..

MRS BURKE (continuing):

The point that I am trying to make is that this legislation is not as black and white or as cut and dried as we would all like to believe. Big brother is watching and the threat of a jail sentence hangs over the heads of those who have no control over certain circumstances. As a result, people will be less inclined to start up a business or, worse still, they will throw up their hands and say, "Forget it. I am leaving."

I am referring to a minority of people who do the wrong thing; I am not talking about the majority of good, upstanding businesses that Mr Quinlan often applauds in this place. This proposed legislation appears to be starting from a base in which the employer is seen as some sort of enemy.

Ms Gallagher: The rest of us applaud businesses too.

MRS BURKE: I listened to the contributions of government members in silence. They should show me the same respect that I showed them and listen to my contribution in silence.

MR SPEAKER: Order! Mrs Burke has the call.

MRS BURKE: Under this legislation employers appear to be the rogues. In that climate, why would businesses even contemplate establishing themselves in the ACT? The requests made by this business minister to try to get businesses to come to Canberra have fallen on deaf ears. Is that what government members want? The left hand of this government does not know what the right hand is doing.

Ms Gallagher: It is complementary.

MRS BURKE: It is certainly not complementary. I have talked to people who are fearful of coming into this country to do business. Why on earth would they want to establish a business in this country? As I said earlier, Mr Quinlan and I recently returned from a successful business trip to the United States of America. Some of those elite businesses and companies are now nervous, sceptical and concerned about this government's commitment to small business.

Why are we waving this sort of stuff in front of their faces? It is like waving a red rag to a bull. Businesses are not stupid. The majority of business people do the right thing and protect their workers. I do not think this legislation is really necessary. My colleagues Mr Stefaniak and Mr Pratt have already said that we have in place sufficient legislation and that we should not be loaded with more red tape and more legislation.

The government must think that Liberal opposition members are idiots. No-one wants to see negligence in the workplace. No-one wants to see people suffer at the hands of employers who refuse to make their workplaces safe and compliant. Many members obviously have no understanding of the practical running of a business and that is the base from which they are speaking. They must think that businesses revel in seeing problems occurring in their operations. They must think that businesses delight in having workplace injuries, accidents and deaths. That is not the case.

The government should look at page 2 of the first of its occupational health and safety quarterly reports for 2003-2004, which states:

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