Lee Rhiannon (NSW, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I seek leave to amend general business notice of motion No. 180 standing in my name as circulated in the chamber.

Leave granted.

I move the motion as amended:

That the Senate—

(a) notes that:

(i) a number of serious safety breaches have occurred on Sydney commercial construction sites over the past 18 months, including the Barangaroo fire, the tower crane fire at the UTS building and the collapse of scaffolding at Mascot,

(ii) the increasing numbers of contractors and sub-contractors employed on large construction projects has been linked to insufficient control over safety practices,

(iii) WorkCover NSW has significantly scaled back its enforcement actions to protect working people’s safety in both the construction sector and more generally across New South Wales, and

(iv) the historic role construction unions played in winning support for occupational health and safety legislation and their ongoing role in promoting workplace safety;

(b) supports the call of unions for an urgent safety audit of major construction sites across Sydney; and

(c) urges the New South Wales Minister for Finance and Services, Mr Andrew Constance, to initiate this audit and allocate extra resources as required for the quick completion of this task.