Page 1101 - Week 04 - Wednesday, 20 March 2013

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In 2012 the ACT became the first jurisdiction to offer a portable long service leave scheme in the security industry. The ACT government is proud that this group of workers, who assist in keeping the community safe, are able to access their entitlements while pursuing career options within the industry. The ACT government has made a commitment to extend the benefits of portable long service leave to the aged-care and contract waste removal industries. The government is proud to be innovative and lead the way on this important issue of fairness for workers in industries with high levels of mobility between employers.

We are forging ahead in our mission to ensure that Canberra’s workers are able to participate in creative, safe and fulfilling work in our territory. We have committed to implementing the recommendations of the Getting home safely report, which will ensure that our construction workers can go home safely.

We are expanding trades traineeships and apprenticeships in the ACT public service because we know that a properly educated workforce will not only make substantially better contributions in their respective workplaces but that they are more aware of what they should be expecting in terms of fairness, safety and representation at work.

The care and oversight that government has provided to workers in Canberra has evolved tremendously in the past 100 years. I think we must remember that making safe and constructive workplaces is a forever evolving project and that the nature of work will evolve just as dramatically over the next 100 years as it has over the past century.

MR SMYTH (Brindabella) (11.41): What a wonderful morning we have had. The Labor Party have been visited by the transformational fairy. She has sprinkled transformation all over their speeches. The word “progressive” is not anywhere to be seen. Suddenly we have been transported to Canberratron, the Canberra equivalent of Cybertron, because the Transformers are in town. I am not sure whether the Chief Minister is Optimus Prime or whether she is Megatron—I suspect more like Megatron.

Ms Gallagher: Bumblebee.

MR SMYTH: Bumblebee? The Chief Minister sees herself as a classy sports car. There we go; Bumblebee is in charge of the ACT. There is your confirmation. If you doubted it, the Transformers have arrived in the ACT Assembly. We are going to be twisting. You can see it now. They will be twisting and turning and changing over the next 3½ years because they are not happy with who they are and who they are in bed with.

Mr Rattenbury, you have got a lot to be blamed for. This is the classic raw nerve overreach response motion. Mr Hanson has hit the raw nerve with the progressives over there. Suddenly there is only one progressive left, and that is Mr Rattenbury. He will wear that with pride. The rest of the progressive Green-Labor government have turned into transformers. It is transformational! I gave up counting the number of times that “transformation” was used. Ms Burch was a bit slow. She started talking


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