Page 3765 - Week 11 - Tuesday, 24 September 2019
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dependent on offences punishable by imprisonment. The recent decision may mean that COCA provisions would not apply to corporations charged with a category 1 WHS Act offence. Accordingly, the bill amends the Magistrates Court Act, the Crimes Act, the Work Health and Safety Act and the Confiscation of Criminal Assets Act to allow corporations to be tried on indictment in the Supreme Court as an individual would be and allow corporations’ assets to be confiscated where the law provides.
This bill will ensure that our justice system is responsive to the needs of Canberra’s workers so that they may enforce their rights quickly and efficiently. Further, the bill will strengthen existing legislative protections by ensuring that corporations are held accountable for their actions and will suffer the full extent of the law as a result. I commend the bill to the Assembly.
MR RAMSAY (Ginninderra—Attorney-General, Minister for the Arts, Creative Industries and Cultural Events, Minister for Building Quality Improvement, Minister for Business and Regulatory Services and Minister for Seniors and Veterans) (11.29), in reply: I thank each member for their contribution to the debate today, noting that there was, by his own admission, a level of digression in Mr Wall’s speech, but I do thank all members for their support of this important bill. I also want to thank the scrutiny committee for their helpful comments, and note that I have responded directly to the scrutiny comments and addressed those matters there.
The Courts (Fair Work and Work Safety) Legislation Amendment Bill will enhance the ability of the ACT Magistrates Court to hear eligible fair work matters in an efficient and cost-effective way. The legislation will assist Canberrans to enforce their rights under the commonwealth fair work scheme in a way that is timely and informal.
By providing this avenue of inexpensive dispute resolution, the government is delivering on its commitment to supporting workers in the territory, especially our most vulnerable. The amendments contained in this bill are key in the fight against wage theft in the ACT and are a further example of this government acting to address this serious issue. ACT workers deserve to be treated fairly and to be safe at work, and this government will keep working to ensure our courts and our justice system are there to support them. The bill achieves this by making a number of key amendments to the Magistrates Court Act to support the conferral of the fair work jurisdiction in the territory.
The government is committed to increasing access to justice for all Canberrans. This bill contains amendments to existing courts legislation to improve the accessibility of the Magistrates Court for Canberrans who are seeking to uphold their rights and to resolve their fair work disputes. By increasing access to the ACT courts in fair work matters, the government is acting on the concern expressed amongst the community that wage theft is happening too often, and that workers’ rights must be upheld in a forum that is quick, inexpensive and local.
This government recognises the significant impact that unresolved legal disputes can have on individuals and on their families. The amendments increase access to justice by providing an alternative pathway to the federal courts to resolve certain fair work
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