Page 2525 - Week 08 - Wednesday, 23 August 2006
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Under the WorkChoices reforms, employees can approach a variety of registered health practitioners, such as chiropractors, physiotherapists and optometrists, to obtain a medical certificate. Previously, that was the domain of the medical practitioners, or GPs as we often call them, but our somewhat less than esteemed colleagues on the hill have rectified the glitch in WorkChoices. They have stopped veterinarians from providing employees with medical certificates. I am glad to see that Mr Howard and Mr Andrews have failed, in part, to remove all access by employees to some form of fairness.
We all remember the case a few months ago of a woman in New South Wales who refused to sign an Australian workplace agreement at her place of employment. She refused to sign a document that took away the right for a sick day. Sorry, Mr Speaker, it did not take away the right; it just meant that it was impossible to have a sick day. The AWA stated that workers would have to give 24 hours notice before having a sick day. How ridiculous! Who on earth knows they are going to be sick 24 hours prior to the illness taking hold?
Here we can see yet again that the workers’ rights are being taken advantage of, that the health of workers has been put in jeopardy. All workers at the work site are now being put at risk of further illness. Working on building sites or in mines, operating heavy machinery, cutting people’s hair, making informative decisions or any form of employment is difficult enough without the added pressure of having to work while sick.
In the Herald Sun in July of this year it was reported that Australians are working longer and harder than they were 20 years ago. A report by the Australian Bureau of Statistics has stated that there has been an increase in full and part-time working hours. The full-time working hours for men are now, on average, over 43 a week and women are working almost 40 hours a week. With the excess in working hours, there is a decrease in the amount of time being spent with family. 666 ABC radio reported last week that there had been a drastic reduction in tourism figures across Australia. The report stated that fewer Australians were taking the chance to travel within their own states and territories, as well as to see other parts of our wonderful country, compared to last year.
The fact that AWAs are now offering the opportunity to cash out holidays or, in fact, only offer a maximum of two weeks annual leave, is causing the destruction of our tourist industry. Holidays are a vital part of the working conditions of all employees. They give adequate time for the body to recuperate and relax. But with the introduction of WorkChoices comes the ability to reduce the number of holidays taken by employees. Workers now feel added pressures from working extended hours and giving up their entitled holidays.
At the 49th annual Tourism Ministers Council in Adelaide last week, ministers from most states and territories agreed that the drop in tourism numbers could be directly linked to WorkChoices. In a statement made last week, tourism ministers from New South Wales, South Australia, Victoria, Tasmania and Western Australia and our own Minister Barr all agreed that the Howard government’s WorkChoices legislation is making it increasingly difficult for workers to use their entitled annual leave. With the added pressures of decreased job security, Australian workers take less annual leave. One-third of the full-time Australian workers do not take any annual leave in a year, yet we have the longest working hours in the developed world.
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