Page 2130 - Week 06 - Wednesday, 5 June 2019
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Ms Cody’s motion calls on the ACT government to prioritise the availability of secure employment with good conditions for Canberrans. I wholeheartedly support this call and the request for action that will protect working people in this city. I value the work of the public service. I understand the importance of governments investing in a strong public service and secure jobs right across the board. I will stand up for the public servants in our city and I will continue to work with my ACT Labor colleagues to do everything we can to mitigate the disastrous impacts that the Morrison coalition government will have on Canberra.
I would also like to take a moment to do a shout-out to my union, the CPSU, in which I was a workplace delegate and sectional counsellor.
Mr Hanson: No, that is not so.
MS ORR: Yes, it is true, Jeremy. They spent every day standing up for the rights of workers in the public service. Having been a delegate, it is very obvious that, despite the good intentions of people within workplaces, things do go wrong. You need to have representation then.
It is also very true that, with very harsh bargaining policies and the very harsh workplace conditions that have been in place since the coalition government has been in place, the CPSU and the work they do, the advocacy that they do, are vital in securing employment that is secure for workers within the public service; that has reasonable rights and conditions, including the right for women who are returning from maternity leave to return to the job they left; that those rights and conditions are put in place. I am very grateful every day that, as a member of my union, I and all the other members of the union work together to stand up for rights and conditions within the workplace.
MR RATTENBURY (Kurrajong) (3.24): Madam Assistant Speaker Cody, I rise to speak to your motion today. I would like to speak on the ACT Greens’ views on the importance of secure work and add our voice to the role that a progressive government can play in this area. We fundamentally believe that all people have the right to meaningful and secure paid employment. Like our Labor colleagues, we also believe that workers have the right to organise, collectively bargain and be represented, and that unions play an important role in advocacy for workers. We know that in a town like ours, with such a high proportion of local and commonwealth public servants, both the federal and ACT governments should have higher regard and set higher benchmarks for employment conditions.
We are more than just a public service town these days, and have been for many years. The backbone of the capital’s foundation was to service the nation. This has become a part of our shared story. It is not too hard to acknowledge the links to the establishment and growth of our world-class education and training facilities that have produced many of the country’s leading thinkers and administrators. As Ms Cody’s motion recognises, this will continue to grow over time.
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