Page 516 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 21 February 2018
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The Canberra Liberals like to talk about freedom of association, but they object to any measure that could raise workers’ awareness of their right to organise. They object to anything that might make it easier for workers to take collective action to protect their rights and conditions. The bottom line is that, as the Chief Minister said earlier today, the Canberra Liberals are consumed by their hatred of unions and the labour movement. This opposition, the Canberra Liberals, have shown again and again that they have no interest in the wellbeing of Canberra workers, whether on government projects or otherwise.
In the face of consistent evidence—not just from unions but from the federal government’s own Fair Work Ombudsman—that local businesses are exploiting young workers, the Canberra Liberals look the other way. “Nothing to see here,” says Mr Wall. We will look and we will see. We will do what we can to ensure that the businesses the ACT government contracts with are doing the right thing by their workers. Canberra is a city with a strong belief in fairness. As I said before, I think the vast majority of Canberrans would agree that their taxpayers’ dollars should go to companies that abide by their industrial obligations, take workplace safety seriously and pay their workers fairly.
This package is about not just working harder to achieve compliance but also working smarter. We are exploring options to use automated data-matching to expand the scope and capacity of our compliance activities. We want to identify ways to do more with the considerable amount of information already available to government. Likewise, this package will simplify the procurement process and reduce duplication. It will reward businesses that do the right thing while at the same time enabling closer monitoring of those whose conduct may be called into question. It will crack down on non-compliant operators who have no place benefiting from taxpayer-funded contracts.
Importantly, the package sets out a clear and objective procedure for the handling of complaints, whether they be from workers, their union representatives or indeed other businesses. Unions and their members are often best placed to detect wrongdoing However, I would note that competing businesses that do the right thing are just as likely to call out bad behaviour when they see it, because it does not create a level playing field.
This package will create an efficient, clear and transparent governance regime for the resolution of disputes related to government procurement and will support the continuous monitoring of performance. In replacing the current MOU, the new package will use legislative, regulatory and standard contract terms to provide the strongest possible procurement framework. This will not only ensure workers’ rights are protected and improve job security; as I have said, it will also create a level playing field for local businesses.
Importantly, it will incentivise best practice. The introduction of weighted criteria to the competitive tender process will recognise those businesses who do more to support their workforce. This covers a range of initiatives such as maximising
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