Deborah O'Neill (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I want to direct my remarks today to the families of Jack Brownlee and Charlie Howkins—that's Lana Cormie and Mr and Mrs Brownlee. I also want to draw attention to Kate Catanzariti. I'm going to speak today about the ongoing and increasing scourge of deaths in workplaces across Australia. This year, 194 workers have tragically lost their lives in industrial accidents. That's more than four a week. That's more than one every two days in Australia. These horrible occurrences are particularly prominent in the construction, mining, transportation and horticulture industries. In particular, 16 people in the Seasonal Worker Program have died, a stark increase from the zero deaths in the program between 2017 and 2019. This year, 2021, marks the second year running that the rate of industrial deaths has risen. The Liberals and Nationals refuse to implement the reforms needed to ensure accountability and safety for our worksites, and tragically workers continue to die needlessly.

I once again urge the government to act on the recommendations of the They never came home report, which we tabled in this place, by the committee chaired very ably by former Deputy President Senator Marshall. Bring on and respond to the Boland review. Follow in the footsteps of the Victoria, Queensland and Northern Territory Labor governments and introduce a national regime for industrial manslaughter. We need industrial manslaughter to be criminalised in this country. We need to ensure that workers who go to work come home. One death on a worksite is one death too many. I will continue to raise my voice for these families, who have a right to expect so much more of the government. They should not elect this one, because it's done nothing in eight years.

I also want to honour and recognise Senator Gallacher's reminder that, during the 12 months from the end of December 2020, 170 people died in crashes involving heavy trucks, and they aren't even counted in those figures. There's work to be done. (Time expired)