Page 4140 - Week 11 - Wednesday, 24 October 2018

Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video

During question time yesterday I offered, if I had not done so already, to table the Education Directorate’s management occupational violence policy, as well as the occupational violence management plan. I will table those now and reaffirm that the Education Directorate will work very closely with WorkSafe as it implements this undertaking. I table the following papers, of which I have copies available for distribution:

Managing Occupational Violence Policy, published July 2017.

Occupational Violence Management Plan, July 2017.

The ACT government has undertaken to report on the strategies of the enforceable undertaking and their implementation in the Education Directorate’s annual report, and the directorate’s audit committee will also monitor the implementation of the enforceable undertaking.

I move:

Omit all text after “That this Assembly”, substitute:

“(1) notes that:

(a) the ACT Government employs 6814 staff in the Education Directorate supporting 47 945 students;

(b) all school-based staff deserve to work in a safe environment;

(c) managing occupational violence in human services contexts like schools is complex and engages competing rights;

(d) in November 2016, in response to concerns raised by the Australian Education Union, the Minister for Education and Early Childhood Development instructed the Education Directorate to prioritise improvement to its management of occupational violence in schools;

(e) in June 2017, in the 2017 Budget the Government allocated $951 000 to improved management of occupational violence in schools;

(f) in July 2017, the Government and Australian Education Union launched its first occupational violence policy and management plan;

(g) as at 22 October 2018, staff at 55 of 87 government schools had undertaken occupational violence training, with the remainder to have completed the training by the end of term 4, 2018; and

(h) a key part of the occupational violence policy and management plan is improved reporting of incidents, which the Government is observing as part of a changing culture about responding to occupational violence;

(2) further notes:

(a) WorkSafe ACT has alleged that the Education Directorate has not complied with its primary health and safety duty based on investigation of circumstances in three schools during 2016 and early 2017;

(b) the Government has voluntarily entered a work health and safety enforceable undertaking that:

Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video