Page 1532 - Week 06 - Thursday, 2 July 2020
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that working from home supports were available, the ACT public service was able to increase the proportion of the workforce that is able to work from home. I thank the hardworking Shared Services team for their incredible efforts in supporting the entire ACT public service, including members and our staff in the Assembly, in what has been a challenging, yet successful, transition to flexible work arrangements in response to COVID-19.
Work has been undertaken at a whole-of-government level to identify psychosocial hazards and risks and put actions in place to address them. This is informing work within each directorate to identify and make plans for managing risks and hazards that are unique to the people and work undertaken in each area.
In supporting the wider community, Worksafe ACT has been undertaking a range of compliance and enforcement activity, as well as providing education and advice. The mentally healthier workplaces initiative has been expanded to include mental health tools and resources that are responsive to the hazards associated with COVID-19. The healthier work team at WorkSafe ACT have been proactively engaging with employers and workers across the ACT to enable them to improve mental health and wellbeing in workplaces and for workers who have transitioned to working from home.
There is no doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic has created significant challenges for our entire community. I am proud of the response that this government and our public service have taken to support Canberrans. We will continue to ensure that public sector workers are provided with flexible work arrangements and we will support the private sector to ensure that workplaces and work from home settings are safe.
We are aware that many Canberrans have not been able to work from home during this public health emergency. Many essential workers—including nurses and doctors, bus and light rail drivers, community service providers and supermarket staff—have turned up to their workplaces each day so that the broader community can still access essential items and services. I acknowledge these workers and reaffirm this government’s commitment to ensure that they can go to work each day in an environment that is safe and healthy.
This motion before the Assembly highlights the incredible work undertaken by the ACT public service. I thank Mr Gupta for moving it today. All workers should be safe in their workplaces, including if they work from home. We will continue to ensure that every working Canberran is supported now and throughout our recovery.
MRS KIKKERT (Ginninderra) (4.09): I thank Mr Gupta for bringing this motion before the Assembly today and I rise to support it. This motion calls upon the ACT government to continue supporting flexible work arrangements for ACT public servants where it suits them and their directorates. It also asks the Chief Minister to request the same for the commonwealth government.
As the shadow minister for families and youth, I specifically want to address the benefits for parents and children that can come from flexible work arrangements. According to the 2019 national working families survey, 62 per cent of Australia’s
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