Page 1134 - Week 04 - Wednesday, 6 April 2016
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(d) this MOU:
(i) is an update to a document that has been in place since 2005, and has been subject to general circulation for the past 11 years; and
(ii) provides that the ACT Government has a mechanism to receive information on the industrial relations track record of potential services, and to take that information into account when making procurement decisions;
(e) all procurement decisions are made consistent with the requirements of the Government Procurement Act 2001;
(f) no union or any other stakeholder:
(i) has right of veto or undue influence upon the procurement decisions of the ACT Government; and
(ii) no union or any other stakeholder has the ability to access commercial-in-confidence tender documents under the terms of the MOU;
(g) the Federal Liberal Government maintains its aggressive attempts to undermine the rights of Australian workers, through their attacks on penalty rates and attempts to reintroduce WorkChoices-style laws; and
(h) the Canberra Liberals have failed to condemn their federal counterparts’ anti-worker agenda; and
(2) calls on the ACT Government to:
(a) reaffirm its commitment to workers’ rights and the ethical sourcing of labour for ACT Government works;
(b) reconfirm the operation of the MOU as being beneficial to workers in a safe and ethical work environment; and
(c) during the next sitting period of the Assembly, provide to the Assembly a copy of the current and the previous version of the MOU, ACT Government policy documents relating to the MOU, and a document outlining how the MOU is given effect.”.
I thank Mr Hanson for moving this motion this morning as it gives me the chance to put to bed some of the misunderstandings floating around in relation to the memorandum of understanding on the procurement of works and services between the government and UnionsACT. The current MOU, which I signed in March last year, is little changed from the first version, which the then Chief Minister Jon Stanhope signed in 2005. After 10 years of operation of the MOU, the government did take the opportunity to review it and, as the government’s procurement practices had been working well, we saw no need to make any material changes.
Madam Speaker, the MOU formalises the government’s commitment to contracting with companies that treat their workers fairly and in accordance with the law.
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