Page 3099 - Week 09 - Tuesday, 22 August 2017
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It shows the dedication that this government has to ensuring that workers get home safely. It is about ensuring that we have a dedicated senior executive within Access Canberra whose focus is on promoting and enforcing compliance with the territory’s work health and safety laws. It is about ensuring that we have the appropriate levels of resources for an ever-growing city.
Investigations in the work health and safety area can be incredibly complex and sometimes lengthy. This change will allow this commissioner to spend more of his time providing advice and guidance to inspectors and ensuring that these investigations proceed efficiently and effectively.
It will also allow him more time to guide the development of education campaigns to improve compliance with work health and safety legislation. I look forward to continuing to work with the current Worksafe commissioner as he continues his hard and valued role in this refocused work.
MR STEEL: Minister, how will this change to Access Canberra’s structure help to strengthen the government’s commitment to protecting the environment?
MR RAMSAY: I thank Mr Steel for his supplementary question. This change presents an opportunity to increase the skills and knowledge of Access Canberra. We are in the final stages of organising to advertise for a new standalone environment protection authority commissioner; we expect to advertise within the next week or so. We have secured the help of a senior executive from the Victorian EPA to sit on the selection panel along with the current commissioner and other qualified members of Access Canberra to help find the right person with the right skills and the right technical expertise to fill this new position.
This new position will give Access Canberra the opportunity to add to the already extensive skills and knowledge that it has in its function as the environment protection authority. As I have mentioned previously, we have been very ably served by the current commissioner, but as the city grows in population, as its industries diversify and as technology advances, the volume of the work that the EPA is responsible for continues to grow.
It is for this reason that we are looking to supplement Access Canberra’s already talented staff with a dedicated senior resource to help enforce the territory’s environment protection legislation. They will supplement our knowledge in best practice in regulating and our technical knowledge in this area. I look forward to working with the future commissioner once they commence in the position.
Greyhound racing—government policy
MR PARTON: My question is directed to the Minister for Regulatory Services. Minister, back in March in the JACS committee I asked you how you had come to the conclusion that greyhound racing in the ACT was out of step with community values. Your written response seemed to be based on value judgement rather than any
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