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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2004 Week 06 Hansard (Tuesday, 22 June 2004) . . Page.. 2389 ..

MR PRATT: access without a warrant and, in some cases, without prior notice: what does that mean? That means barge to me, Chief Minister, barge in.

MR SPEAKER: Order! Direct your comments through the chair please.

MR PRATT: What if they seek notice to pressure management to accept access? What is the government’s justification for setting up a dangerous and divisive piece of legislation?

Ms MacDonald: Dangerous?

MR PRATT: It is dangerous.

Mr Quinlan: It is divisive!

MR PRATT: It is dangerous. What mushroom do you live under? What is the government’s justification for setting up a dangerous and divisive piece of legislation that clearly will have the consequence, unintended or otherwise, of driving a stronger wedge between the union movement and the business community? That is what this will do.

Mr Quinlan: They will be meeting each other all the time.

MR PRATT: Of course it does. You would know very well, Ted, that it will drive a wedge between the movement and the business community. Even worse still, this government legislation could very likely drive a wedge between management and workers in some workplaces and create unnecessary tensions. I am outraged that this government, under the guise of deploying value-adding mechanisms to OH&S, is allowing the unions to have right of entry. What is this? Is this some sort of pay-off, Chief Minister? Is it a pay-off to the unions that we give them this capability?

Mr Stanhope: What for, mate?

Ms Gallagher: Don’t get too excited, Steve.

MR PRATT: In the absence of any evidence—evidence you have not presented—that would indicate why we need to broaden the workplace practices in the ACT to give unions unfettered access to the right of entry to workplaces, I cannot see any justification. What about access to business owners who operate from their homes? I gather you might be looking at some protection there and I hope you will make sure that the inner sanctum of the home will not be breached.

Ms Gallagher: You know that, Steve. You have been briefed on that.

MR PRATT: What? The Liberal opposition will also be putting forward an amendment regarding these sorts of issues. The other amendments that the Liberal opposition will be putting forward today are consequential to the amendments we put forward for the Dangerous Substances Bill regarding absolute liability. Going back to the point of penalties, I want to raise this question and I hope the minister answers it. At the moment,

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