Page 1722 - Week 05 - Tuesday, 1 May 2012
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Implementation of actions arising from the WorkSafe ACT Improvement Notice issued to Canberra Institute of Technology on 11 April 2012—Progress report, dated May 2012
I ask leave to make a statement in relation to the papers.
Leave granted.
DR BOURKE: On 11 April 2012, WorkSafe ACT issued its report into bullying and harassment at the CIT. That report is available on the WorkSafe website for all who wish to read it.
The investigation was conducted under the then Work Safety Act 2008 and was commenced as a result of the receipt by WorkSafe of a number of complaints raised by CIT staff members. It must be stressed that WorkSafe’s report is not a report on individual complaints. Fundamentally, it is a report on the serious failure of the complaints policies and procedures themselves.
Mr Doszpot interjecting—
MR ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Mr Hargreaves): Order! Mr Doszpot, that will do.
Mr Doszpot interjecting—
MR ASSISTANT SPEAKER: Mr Doszpot! I will not say it again.
DR BOURKE: The conclusions reached by WorkSafe are reflected in the 10 terms of the improvement notice issued. In summary, these indicate that the systemic failures were of such an order as to have created a grave want of procedural and natural justice.
Accordingly, in relation to the complaints themselves, WorkSafe concluded that the findings made by CIT in its investigations of complaints “cannot be relied upon”—
Mr Seselja: Mr Assistant Speaker.
DR BOURKE: and it follows that “CIT cannot be assured that potential risks to the health and safety of workers have not been overlooked”.
MR ASSISTANT SPEAKER: Dr Bourke, resume your seat for a second, please. I am sorry, Mr Seselja; I did not notice you.
Mr Seselja: On a point of order, I am just seeking your guidance. Dr Bourke appears to be making the statement by leave which was listed under executive business. It is not clear to me that we have gone back to that. I thought we were going to go to the MPI after papers. This was clearly listed, I believe, under statements by leave. I seek your clarification as to where we are up to.
MR ASSISTANT SPEAKER: Thanks very much, Mr Seselja. My understanding is that there are a series of papers being presented. Indeed, Dr Bourke said in his
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