Page 2099 - Week 06 - Tuesday, 8 May 2012
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
Minister for Corrections) (11.29), in reply: As I said when I introduced this bill into the Assembly, this is one further step in this government’s resolve to bring fairness to all workers in the territory. This is in contrast to the opposition, who today announce not just their opposition to this bill but their opposition to the very concept of long service leave. No-one—no-one—needs to catch a boat. No-one needs to catch a boat somewhere. They think no-one deserves long service leave—not nurses, not teachers, not emergency service workers: no long service leave for anybody, anytime, anywhere.
This portable long service leave act provides access to long service leave to workers who may work in an industry for considerable periods of time but who, because of the nature of the industry, change employer on a frequent basis.
The origins of portable long service leave lie in the building and construction industry which, as members are aware, is generally contract based, with workers moving from project to project. All jurisdictions have had arrangements for the construction industry going back as far as 1981. There have been portable long service leave arrangements for the contract cleaning industry in Queensland, New South Wales and the territory since June 2000. In July 2010 the territory added the community sector to the scheme, and now we are adding the security industry. All of these industries have one thing in common. They have dedicated long-term employees who, due to the nature of the work in the industry, move from employer to employer.
The security industry is very competitive. It is not unusual to see security personnel working at the same location for long periods of time. Often, however, they will work for a number of different employers, as security companies win the contract for these locations. The general nature of the security industry in terms of contracts, a transient workforce and workforce profile is consistent with that of the cleaning industry, which has had a successful scheme in operation for over 10 years. 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 for these organisations.
Mr Speaker, this government have never shied away from addressing issues. We have never shied away from being innovative and we have never shied away from being willing to lead the way. This is another example of this government’s commitment to ensure fairness for all workers.
The ACT leads in terms of legislative progressiveness for workers’ portable long service leave entitlements, and a scheme for the security industry would serve as a precedent for other jurisdictions to follow. The security industry is an important industry in the territory, performing a range of vital public safety services. I am advised that within the industry there are about 240 master licensees who engage over 2½ thousand workers. The government is keen to support security workers by extending available leave entitlements to support their employment in this important service sector. This is about rewarding long-term employees with their entitlements. This is not about what others are doing; this is about being fair.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video