Page 4267 - Week 11 - Thursday, 25 October 2018
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By establishing a transparent and clear statement of the standard of behaviour that is expected by the territory, we can positively affect the workplace environment that our friends and families work in. The bill is a proactive step to provide an economic incentive for businesses to comply with their labour and ethical workplace standards.
It is acknowledged that many of these standards are found in existing legislation, both territory and commonwealth legislation, with their own enforcement infrastructures. However, it is also recognised that we can be proactive and deliberate about saying that, in order to respond to a procurement or a contract with the territory, businesses must be able to demonstrate that they are good employers and treat their workers fairly. This bill enables the territory to have the necessary rigour and robustness to support this objective and to enforce its provisions. It will strengthen the current procurement processes in the territory.
I also wish to highlight that the bill and supporting instruments have undergone extensive consultation. Specifically, the first round of public consultation on the structure of the secure local jobs package was undertaken with the release of a discussion paper and included an eight-week public submission period to March 2018.
Multiple meetings with employee and employer representative groups and forums have been conducted. There has been engagement with the commonwealth and a second round of public consultation on a consultation draft of the secure local jobs code and other supporting instruments, with public submissions sought until September 2018. Further comments have been made in relation to the bill by the Standing Committee on Justice and Community Safety, in its legislative scrutiny role. The Standing Committee on Economic Development and Tourism also commented on and made recommendations in relation to the bill in its recent report No 4.
In all consultative forums there has been broad support for the objectives the government is seeking to achieve through this bill. The more substantive comments have been about the detail or of a technical nature in relation to the supporting instruments, such as the secure local jobs code. I understand that these will be considered and responded to as part of the finalisation of those supported instruments.
It is acknowledged that both territory entities and businesses will need support and additional information, particularly in the lead-up to the commencement of the bill, to ensure that the territory and industry are alert to and understand the new obligations in relation to territory procurements. Indeed, not only will this legislation apply to industry; it will also create obligations on territory entities to ensure that businesses responding to procurements or contracting with the territory hold a secure local jobs certificate and comply with their obligations under that certificate.
The bill sets up the fundamental arrangements for the governance and administration of the new provisions. Specifically, it will provide for how complaints are to be dealt with in relation to businesses that hold a secure local jobs certificate under clause 27Q. It establishes the framework for orders to be undertaken by the registrar, who is appointed under the bill in clause 22R. It will also allow the register to be able to request information from businesses when considering complaints or compliance
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