Page 2450 - Week 07 - Tuesday, 31 July 2018
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MADAM DEPUTY SPEAKER: “That this is not the case”. What is the sentence before that?
MS CODY: Their MBA and Liberal allies.
MADAM DEPUTY SPEAKER: Yes. What did you say about the MBA and the Liberal allies?
MS CODY: That people may get killed on site.
MADAM DEPUTY SPEAKER: And you struggle to believe that this is not the case?
MS CODY: Sure.
MADAM DEPUTY SPEAKER: That that is what they wanted?
MS CODY: I did not say that; no.
MADAM DEPUTY SPEAKER: What I heard, and I may have misinterpreted—
MS CODY: Would you like me to withdraw, Mrs Dunne?
MADAM DEPUTY SPEAKER: I think it would be better if you withdrew.
MS CODY: I withdraw.
MADAM DEPUTY SPEAKER: Thank you.
MS CODY: The point of this bill is to improve the quality of safety consultation in the construction industry and hopefully rid us of the top-down, conflict-driven approach that gets people killed. This bill will ensure meaningful consultation and collaboration between workers and principal contractors at major construction projects. This is widely acknowledged as a crucial element of improving health and safety performance in the workplace. In fact, the model work health and safety laws already recognise this.
One of the objectives of the model laws is to provide fair and effective representation of workers, and consultation and cooperation regarding work health and safety. Despite this objective, and despite the importance of consultation and collaboration, the use of formal consultation mechanisms is inconsistent across territory construction sites, as stated in the RMIT University review of safety in the industry last year.
Under the current Work Health and Safety Act 2011, it is not mandatory for health and safety representatives and committees to be elected and suitably trained. It is up to a worker to request the election of one or more health and safety representatives. Furthermore, it is up to a health and safety representative of five or more workers at a workplace to request the establishment of a health and safety committee. The
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