Page 5868 - Week 14 - Wednesday, 7 December 2011
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resolve issues early, because speaking up about unacceptable behaviour is the surest way to bring about lasting cultural change. I have had a number of meetings over the past six months about ensuring that this is dealt with on a directorate-by-directorate level.
In 2012 a whole-of-government incident reporting system will be implemented. This will, I hope, enhance the reporting and investigations of incidents across the public service. In relation to private sector workplaces, the government has a role to play via WorkSafe ACT, our health and safety regulator. I know workplace bullying is a matter that the Work Safety Commissioner takes a particular interest in and, indeed, I have had meetings with him in the last six months on that subject.
WorkSafe ACT received 36 allegations of bullying in 2010-11, 67 per cent of them from the private sector. WorkSafe also collects data from insurers in respect of workers compensation claims arising from assaults, bullying and harassment. Obviously this data only includes cases that involve a claim for workers compensation.
WorkSafe also publish a range of materials on workplace bullying, including a publication designed to help workers understand their options if they believe they have been bullied in the workplace. The commissioner’s office also runs training courses to help workplaces understand what constitutes bullying behaviour and how it can be combated. I understand that these courses are very popular and are attended by about 2,000 workers a year from the public and private sectors. The Human Rights Commission also offers similar courses.
The ACT is one of only two jurisdictions to have approved codes of practice under their health and safety legislation covering the prevention and management of workplace bullying. The other jurisdiction is Western Australia. I think it is another indication of the importance that we place on this issue.
I have said many times in this place that every worker deserves to be safe at work. Whilst we will never be in a position where we can reduce the risk of abuse or attack to zero—simply because we cannot mandate the behaviour of members of the public—some jobs by their nature will carry with them a higher risk than others, and that goes for the private sector as well as the public service. But we can ensure that workers understand they do not have to tolerate abuse or intimidation. To public servants working for this government, I can say that no staff member needs to put up with that type of behaviour, and that is why we want to understand it a bit more and make sure that we have programs in place to deal with it.
I was at the Canberra Hospital on Saturday night watching some of the interactions between staff and members of the public. I also noticed that posters were widely displayed in the emergency department setting out that staff should not be subjected to abuse in their workplace. The Health Directorate has done an enormous amount of work over the past 12 months in relation to supporting staff both to raise issues within the workplace about other staff but also to ensure that they are protected in very stressful situations in their interactions with members of the public.
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