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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2004 Week 06 Hansard (Tuesday, 22 June 2004) . . Page.. 2432 ..

Just briefly, the same reasons that I have given for amendment No 13 apply to this amendment and to amendment No 15 which I will be moving shortly.

Amendment agreed to.

MS GALLAGHER (Minister for Education and Training, Minister for Children, Youth and Family Support, Minister for Women and Minister for Industrial Relations) (12.49): I move amendment No 15 circulated in my name [see schedule 3 at page 2446].

Amendment agreed to.

Clause 24, as amended, agreed to.

Proposed new clause 24A.

MS DUNDAS (12.49): Mr Speaker, I move amendment No 1 circulated in my name to insert a new clause 24A [see schedule 5 at page 2452].

I am moving this amendment in recognition of the fact that we are introducing a whole new system of regulation for occupational health and safety in the ACT. Despite the fact that this is an amended piece of legislation, the changes it makes are wide-ranging and will significantly alter the enforcement mechanisms of OH&S in the territory. In addition, we have been informed that the government will be conducting a second round of reforms in the coming months with additional legislation to be tabled next year. With large amounts of changes to the legislation occurring in a piecemeal fashion and also in recognition that there has never been an independent review of the OH&S Act, I think it is sensible to require that the act is given a full review after the changes have settled down.

The new clause that I am proposing in this amendment specifies that the review pay particular attention to the changes as put forward in this bill, with special reference to the right of entry provisions as they appear to be the most contentious in the debate. The review specifically requires consultation with both employer and employee organisations to ensure that both these groups have an opportunity to comment on the act. It will also allow us to examine any data generated over the period of this act when it is in effect and will allow some examination of data of the act. This review clause is modelled on Ms Tucker’s previous amendments to the Dangerous Substances Bill. Given these two bills’ similarities, it is prudent to require the same degree of scrutiny. I commend this amendment to the Assembly.

MS GALLAGHER (Minister for Education and Training, Minister for children, Youth and Family Support, Minister for Women and Minister for Industrial Relations) (12.51): The government will support Ms Dundas’s amendment. There has been considerable debate and discussion around the amendments to the Occupational Health and Safety Act, particularly in relation to right of entry provisions. Given the concerns raised through this debate, the government feels the review provision is justified in order to formally examine the impact and workability of the provisions.

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