Page 1518 - Week 04 - Thursday, 29 March 2012
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and members independent of either. Thus far, the Long Service Leave Authority has successfully run the scheme for the construction and building industry, the cleaning industry and the community sector industry.
Its success is demonstrated in the large increase in the number of workers in the scheme over the last three years. This growth in workers under the scheme reflects the effectiveness of the operation of the authority and the portable long service leave schemes. As an independent ACT statutory authority, the Long Service Leave Authority is self-funded and does not rely on the ACT budget for support.
Under a portable long service leave model, employers pay the money they would normally set aside for long service leave into a fund which is managed by the Long Service Leave Authority board. Employees then draw on this fund when they are eligible for and wish to access their long service leave.
The scheme is strongly supported by unions and employees as an appropriate strengthening of workers’ entitlements in the sector and as a means of addressing mobility issues within the industry.
The general nature of the security industry—in terms of contracts, transient workforce and workforce profiles—is consistent with the cleaning industry that has had a successful scheme in operation. In addition, many organisations engage cleaners and security workers on similar contract arrangements, and the addition of a new scheme for the security industry would have minimal impact.
The government has undertaken extensive consultation on this bill and the exposure draft that preceded it. Indeed, the bill was released as an exposure draft at the end of 2011 until March 2012, with an accompanying discussion paper to assist the development of submissions on the bill.
I invited everybody to make a submission in any form, including formally in writing, informally over the phone, or by meeting with officers from the Office of Industrial Relations in person. I also personally wrote to all major unions and industry associations encouraging them to participate in consultations.
I understand a number of phone calls were received from industry associations and unions, and officers assisted in providing information at an industry breakfast briefing earlier in the year. Four formal submissions were received from the industry that helped to shape the bill presented today, and, in particular, the proposed commencement date for the legislation.
Employer groups have questioned the value of the scheme, and the Office of Industrial Relations will continue to work with all interested parties until the bill comes into effect to ensure that, where possible, their concerns are addressed. This will include assisting security contractors in seeking any necessary contract price variations to accommodate any impact of the levy under the scheme. I have asked ACT government agencies to look favourably on any contract variations in this regard.
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