Fiona Nash (NSW, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

Indeed. But in listening to the skull and crossbones explanation, I did note with interest that, to my knowledge, there has been no complaint whatsoever about Linfox’s change of arrangements. It is unfortunate that those who sit on the other side choose to scaremonger instead of trying to contribute to taking this nation forward in the interests of those employees who work so very hard around this nation.

Unlike those opposite, who will oppose this very sensible piece of legislation just for the sake of opposition, this government has a plan to take OH&S forward in this nation. Those on the other side have nada—nothing. The best way to address the very serious issue of OH&S is to promote a culture where there is greater cooperation between employers and employees, and that is what this government is doing. We need to have an environment where everyone is acting in the best interests of the workforce. We do not need the environment that exists in some jurisdictions where we are introducing laws that are punitive and that punish the employer above all else.

This government—the Howard-Vaile government—is leading the way in which Australians approach OH&S by taking a cooperative approach to identifying and eliminating hazards that may cause injury or death. Through the National OHS Strategy, which my colleague Senator Troeth referred to before and which was developed in 2002, there are five national priorities for OH&S. They include reducing high incidence and severity risks, improving the capacity of business and workers to manage OH&S, preventing occupational disease more effectively, eliminating workplace hazards at the design stage and strengthening the capacity of governments to influence better OH&S outcomes.

I would like to acknowledge the important role Australia’s trade unions have played in the promotion of health and safety in the workplace. Senator Wong referred to the track record of Australian trade unions. But occupational health and safety is not the sole province of the unions. Some of the amendments to the bill involve removing the mandated right of ‘involved unions’ to intervene in OH&S matters to the exclusion of other employees and their representatives. This government believes it is imperative that Commonwealth employers be required to consult with all employees—not just unions—about the development and implementation of OH&S arrangements.

It is vitally important that we get this right for the future of this nation. The amendments in this bill are a very positive step forward. I refer to my earlier remarks: if the companies that are working nationally right across this country have to deal with eight separate and distinct jurisdictions when it comes to OH&S and their ability to comply, their ability to be productive is severely lessened. We need to ensure that there is an environment where those businesses and those companies can operate in the best possible manner while at the same time ensuring that employees are protected and that the OH&S requirements are being met so that we can have the most productive, safe workplace in this nation that we are able to have.