Page 2759 - Week 08 - Tuesday, 13 August 2019
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critical of the government was upheld, have you examined the implications for the ACT and can you guarantee that all ACT public servants and contractors have and will continue to have freedom of political expression?
MR BARR: I have not personally examined the matter. I am perhaps not professionally qualified to give a legal opinion on that matter but I will seek advice as to any implications within the ACT public service of that High Court decision.
MS LE COUTEUR: It has been suggested that this ruling is relevant to private sector employees as well. Will your government act to protect free speech in the ACT? You did not actually answer the first question, about ACT public servants continuing to have freedom of political expression; maybe you could answer that. It is also about the implications for the private sector.
MR BARR: ACT public servants have freedom of political expression subject to the usual public sector management requirements under legislation and, indeed, under codes of practice for those who are employed in the public sector. In relation to the private sector, that would principally be a matter of industrial relations law, which, as I am sure members are aware, is regulated at a federal level in the territory.
MS CHEYNE: Chief Minister, what other measures, such as the secure local jobs code, has the government put in place to improve job security in the ACT?
MR BARR: There is one very good example of the sorts of measures that the ACT government has taken. Undoubtedly, there are—
Opposition members interjecting—
MADAM SPEAKER: Members, please! The Chief Minister has the floor.
MR BARR: There are, of course, a range of differences in relation to public sector employment in the ACT as opposed to the commonwealth as it pertains to workers’ rights to organise collectively, to bargain and to undertake a range of activities that will advance the collective interests of employees. It is clear that there is quite a difference in terms of the ACT government’s employment practices and approaches to our workforce from what we see at the commonwealth level. This is manifested in many different ways, the secure local jobs code being but one of them.
Health—inter-agency communication
MRS DUNNE: My question is to the Minister for Health. On 6 June 2019, ACT Health was advised that Major Projects would be taking responsibility for the SPIRE project. The head of Canberra Health Services was not aware of this until 18 June, after it was reported in the media. Documents obtained under freedom of information show that there was no communication on the matter between ACT Health and Canberra Health Services during that period. Minister, why was there no communication between ACT Health and Canberra Health Services about the transfer of SPIRE to Major Projects?
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