Page 3890 - Week 09 - Thursday, 25 August 2011
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volunteers are included in the definition of workers and therefore are caught by the duties provisions for both workers and other persons at the workplace.
It is also unclear as to the obligations on board and committee members of associations.
If an association, whether incorporated or not, employs paid workers, those workers will have officer duties under the legislation. This has created considerable concern, even angst, for some community-based volunteer organisations who say that they will have to go so far as to close their operations if they are caught as the bill contemplates.
In her presentation speech, the minister stated:
… the changes to our present regime will be minimal.
She said further:
Those businesses who are complying with the Work Safety Act will find that there will be no need to change their operations to comply with this bill.
I hope that will be so, but I fear it will not when we consider the impact of the 600-plus pages of regulations that will find their way onto the legislation register. Even for the public service, now caught by the terms of this bill, there could be a significant impact.
And what of the cost? Implementation of the bill’s consequences within the public sector could be substantial by the time processes and procedures are developed and promulgated and staff trained as to their new obligations. Costs to business could be substantial if there are any new statutory requirements not required. And that is before we get to the regulations.
In this context, I also note the minister’s power to determine fees. No doubt there will be yet another tax on business in this city. There will be costs, too, for the commonwealth for its involvement in implementing and monitoring the new regime. And of course there are the COAG incentive payments that I mentioned earlier.
Pushing this major piece of legislation through in the way that this ACT Labor government is attempting to do is completely unacceptable. It did it before with the 2008 act; it is doing it again with this bill. This is a bill with many unanswered questions and concerns, much confusion, a lack of clarity and significant new imposts. Once again, we and the business of community are in the dark as to the regulations and the potential impact of those regulations on that sector.
It is about time this government put the bulldozer away and afforded respect to the people of Canberra, and in this case the Canberra business community, by giving them a better opportunity to consider such major legislation and not to insult their intelligence. We will not support this bill.
MS BRESNAN (Brindabella) (12.22): The Greens will agree to the Work Health and Safety Bill in principle today. However, we will agree with the Liberal Party’s request
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