Page 3629 - Week 10 - Thursday, 19 September 2019
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
centre-based day care arrangements. These workers are among the most vulnerable in the territory, which is why in 2006 the ACT government legislated to make it clear that they should have access to workers compensation.
To identify the workers that would be covered, the 2006 amendments referenced definitions established in commonwealth legislation. That legislation was subsequently changed. Unfortunately, this has resulted in some confusion about the continued application of the Workers Compensation Act to family day care and in-home care workers.
Clarification was initially provided by a declaration made under section 16A of the Workers Compensation Act. This was necessary to address the immediate risk to those works in relation to their coverage under the workers compensation legislation. However, the act still uses terms that are out of date, and the amendments in this bill will update the act to use more contemporary definitions for these workers.
Essentially the bill will declare people working in an approved family day care service under the Education and Care Services National Law (ACT) Act 2011 as workers for the purposes of the Workers Compensation Act. This amended definition will capture both family day carers and in-home carers, in accordance with the longstanding policy.
This government is committed to ensuring that the ACT workers compensation scheme continues to support timely, safe and durable return to work outcomes through effective injury management and income support for all injured workers. The Workers Compensation Amendment Bill 2019 is a demonstration of that commitment. I commend the bill to the Assembly.
Debate (on motion by Mrs Jones) adjourned to the next sitting.
Education, Employment and Youth Affairs—Standing Committee
Report 6
MR PETTERSSON (Yerrabi) (11.32): I present the following report:
Education, Employment and Youth Affairs—Standing Committee—Report 6—Management and Minimisation of Bullying and Violence in ACT Schools, dated 16 September 2019, together with a copy of the extracts of the relevant minutes of proceedings.
I move:
That the report be noted.
On 4 April 2019 the Legislative Assembly referred an inquiry into the management and minimisation of bullying and violence in ACT schools to the education, employment and youth affairs committee. As the committee notes in the report, the referral instructed the committee to take all identifying evidence “in camera and to hold documents on a confidential basis”.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video