Page 1948 - Week 07 - Tuesday, 14 May 2013
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The government has also undertaken to provide a six-monthly update on progress of the implementation. I anticipate to do that for the period commencing 1 September this year.
MADAM SPEAKER: Supplementary question, Ms Berry.
MS BERRY: Minister, how can industries outside of the construction industry be sure that their workplaces can remain safe and healthy through this campaign?
MR CORBELL: I thank Ms Berry for the supplementary. I think the most important thing to state is that a discussion and changing a culture around workplace safety in the construction sector flows through to other parts of the economy and other workplace sectors. If we have a situation where we have a sector that has been an area of intense focus around workplace safety, is starting to change its culture and has a high profile in the media, that flows through to other parts of the economy and other workplaces.
If there is a clear message from government that death and injury are not acceptable in workplaces, as they are not, and if there is a clear message from government and action from government that will see additional resources for work safety inspectors on the ground, it also flows through both to employers and to workers that the issue of workplace safety is critical and cannot be ignored. There are increased resources to respond to it and there is a strong culture of acting after the event, but most importantly before an incident occurs, to identify safety problems and get them fixed.
Canberra—centenary
MR WALL: My question is to the Chief Minister. Chief Minister, last Tuesday in the Legislative Assembly, you presented the results of a University of Canberra survey, which showed that almost four in 10 people said the $3 million Canberra centenary event on 11 March had a negative impact or did not change perceptions about Canberra. Now the government has spent over $300,000 on a hot-air balloon which is owned by a Melbourne-based business and may fly only infrequently in the ACT. This hot air balloon, which is attracting national ridicule, will tour the nation in an effort to change the negative perceptions about Canberra. Chief Minister, given the current level of national public ridicule of the centenary balloon, what strategies does your government have in place to counter that ridicule?
MS GALLAGHER: I do not agree with the question. I think it runs counter to the comments that Mr Seselja made at the end of the annual reports hearing on Friday, where he actually congratulated the centenary creative director for a wonderful series of events that have been put on in the centenary and also acknowledged how difficult it was to please everybody. Perhaps there should be a bit of conferring between colleagues on the backbench—even one in the departure lounge.
I would say that the work of the centenary team, and I am not in any way defensive here around the centenary program; I think the centenary team have achieved a wonderful program of different events—
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