Daryl Melham (Banks, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

It strikes one to read through the list and see the types of accidents and the ages of the victims. The causes of death range from electrocution, to being crushed by a vehicle, through to falling from a height. The youngest is Joel Exner, who died on 15 October 2003. He was only 16. Another victim was Glen Viegas, who was only 28 when he was electrocuted on 24 October 2004. Glen’s wife, Andreia, spoke at the dedication of the wall last year. I believe her words are important for us to hear again today as we debate this legislation. She said:

I don’t want Glen’s death to be just a statistic. I don’t want our family’s suffering to mean nothing. I want his death to be a wake-up call to all employers, workers, governments and the whole of Australia.

That is why I am so proud to be able to take part in the opening of the CFMEU Wall of Remembrance. This wall is not just about listing the names of people killed at work; it is about making sure their deaths were not in vain and forgotten. This wall is a reminder to every worker, employer or politician that sees it that workplace safety must be a priority, and we need to stop these needless deaths occurring.

The message of this wall is that every Australian worker deserves a safe workplace and no worker’s life should ever be put at risk.

Fifteen to 20 per cent of all workplace injuries happen on building sites. This does not take into account the lost time due to accidents which, apart from the human costs, bring the cost to industry to millions of dollars.

That is why I do not have a lot of time for the ranting and raving of members like the member for Cowper when he attacks the CFMEU. I am not saying that all unions are lily white or pure, and I think that those unions that cross the boundary should pull their heads in. But I tell you what: the CFMEU has a very proud history and they have been at the forefront of occupational health and safety trying to save lives and injuries. The 121 people now incorporated in the Hansard have been killed since 1988 in New South Wales alone. What are we on about in this place? That is why you need unions in the workplace—because bosses cannot be trusted. In the building and construction industry, and in a lot of other industries, they put profit before everything else. That is why we as a parliament have an obligation to regulate a safe workplace. Neither side should have untrammelled power. But the government’s ideology at the moment is trying to force unions out of the workplace. In relation to occupational health and safety, the results will be calamitous because the statistics of death and injury will continue at unacceptable levels.

I think the ideologues on the other side need to pull their heads in, because health and safety affects our community. Many of the injuries that result mean that people cannot come back into the workplace and it is taxpayers’ dollars that have to be used to nurse those families into the future and provide a safety net for them. So there is a dollar cost attached to this. That is not the only reason one should be involved, but I cringe when I hear the ranting and raving against unions as if they are all powerful and all evil and need to be stamped out. It is not true. Many employers have a cooperative relationship with the union movement. Indeed, in New South Wales when we hosted the Olympics, it was the CFMEU and the way they conducted themselves that ensured that those facilities were built on time and on budget. Our international reputation was enhanced as a result of the union movement’s positive approach to the developments that took place at Homebush. It could not have been done without a cooperative trade union movement. The situation is that construction is, by its very nature, hazardous. But these hazards can be reduced by effective management. I note the time and so I seek leave to continue my remarks when the debate is resumed.

Leave granted.

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