WORKPLACE SAFETY

The Hon. S.G. WADE (14:32): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the before asking the Minister for Industrial Relations a question relating to workplace safety.

Leave granted.

The Hon. S.G. WADE: Six years after the 2004 death of Daniel Nicholas Madeley in a work accident, SafeWork SA commenced a compliance project to identify the number of horizontal and vertical borers at South Australian workplaces. The project commenced in May 2010, the same month the inquest into Mr Madeley's death commenced. On 9 February, the Coroner issued a report, which states:

Given that the project started in...2010 and is not yet complete in February 2011, it is fair to say that the project is hardly proceeding expeditiously. In my opinion, some greater sense of urgency should be applied to this project.

Given the rate of site visits in the first five months of the compliance project, the visits alone would take a further 3½ years. Minister Finnigan could not advise the council on 24 February 2011 as to when the compliance audit would be completed. In the light of the pressing need to address workplace safety issues, my questions to the minister are:

1. What progress has been made on the compliance project?

2. How many workplaces have been inspected?

3. How many workplaces are yet to be inspected?

4. When does the minister expect the compliance project will be completed?

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY (Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for State/Local Government Relations) (14:33): I thank the member for his very important questions. The whole issue regarding the death of Daniel Madeley is a very tragic issue. The circumstances with regard to his death were quite horrifying for anyone who has read the Coroner's report. With regard to the particular questions asked by the Hon. Mr Wade, I will seek that information from SafeWork SA and get that back to Mr Wade as quickly as possible.