Personal Explanation

SAFEWORK SA

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY (Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for State/Local Government Relations) (14:24): I seek leave to make a personal explanation.

Leave granted.

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY: I offer to the council the following explanation of comments that I made on 5 September 2012. These comments were in response to a question without notice raised by the Hon. Mr Lucas MLC on 16 February 2012. The Hon. Mr Lucas asked: can the minister indicate how many cases there have been where driveway staff in hotels have been injured by cars whilst working in driveways of hotels? In responding to that question I indicated to the chamber as follows:

I am advised a search of WorkCover SA records has found that there have been no claims in the liquor retailing industry where driveway staff in hotels have been injured by cars whilst working in the drive through bottle shops.

I now understand that this information is not correct. SafeWork SA has undertaken a further review of accident and injury data for this type of workplace and has now advised that the workers compensation data does, in fact, reveal that there have been 12 workers compensation claims between 2001 and 2012 which involved workers being hit or trapped by vehicles in drive-through bottle shops. I ask that the record be corrected accordingly.

However, in saying this, the sad fact is that the number of injuries reported in this situation underscores my concern about the safety of these workers. The Hon. Mr Lucas may have made comments regarding this matter based on a misapprehension, and I apologise for this. However, I should reiterate that just because a particular incident has not occurred does not mean that we should not take steps to mitigate a risk of someone being injured or killed at work. This is something that the Hon. Mr Lucas, sadly, fails to understand.

I think it would be of benefit to the chamber if I gave some further information on this matter—which, I might add, started as a joke at an Australian Hotels Association function in December last year.

The Hon. J.S.L. DAWKINS: I have a point of order.

The PRESIDENT: Order! The Hon. Mr Dawkins has a point of order.

The Hon. J.S.L. DAWKINS: The minister is debating the matter now and not restricting himself to a personal explanation.

The PRESIDENT: The honourable minister is only correcting the record, so he should stick to the facts.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY: This whole issue started as a joke at an Australian Hotels Association function in December last year but is something that the Hon. Mr Lucas has tried to make political mileage out of.

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. J.S.L. DAWKINS: I have a further point of order.

The PRESIDENT: Order! The honourable minister is not to debate the issue. You have made your personal explanation: correct the record.

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY: Mr President, there have been 12 incidents. There is a lot more information, which I will give to the chamber at the appropriate time just to enlighten them on this very important issue.