Parliamentary Committee on Occupational Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation: Annual Report 2018-19

Adjourned debate on motion of Hon. J.S.L. Dawkins:

That the 2018-19 annual report of the committee be noted.

(Continued from 13 November 2019.)

The Hon. T.T. NGO (20:49): I am pleased to speak in support of council members noting the 2018-19 annual report of the Parliamentary Committee on Occupational Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation (OSRC). As a committee member, I acknowledge the important functions the OSRC committee performs. This includes monitoring the state's crucial workplace health and safety legislation.

During this reporting period, much of the committee's attention has been on its inquiry into workplace fatigue and bullying in South Australian hospitals and health services, which was initiated last year. The committee has determined to consult broadly for this inquiry and currently aims to finalise its information gathering this year.

During this reporting period, the committee also considered outcomes of some external inquiries, including the Your Voice survey by the state's Office of the Commissioner for Public Sector Employment and the Public Integrity Survey by the Independent Commissioner Against Corruption and the Office for Public Integrity. Engaging with these reviews broadened the committee's knowledge, increasing our collective insights for future inquiries.

Thanks to all who contributed to the work of the committee during this recent reporting period. I thank those who made submissions and presented material for the committee's consideration. I also thank committee members for their commitment in examining these issues. While we come to the committee with different experiences, I believe through our forthright discussion we work together respectfully to balance our different viewpoints.

I especially acknowledge and appreciate the efforts of other members of the committee. I recognise and thank the Presiding Member, Mr Stephen Patterson MP, the member for Morphett; Mr Steve Murray MP, the member for Davenport; Mr Jon Gee MP, the member for Taylor; the Hon. Tammy Franks MLC; and the Hon. John Dawkins MLC.

I also thank the parliamentary staff who ably assisted the committee in performing its functions over this last reporting period: our parliamentary officers and research officers, Ms Anthea Howard, Mr Simon Macdonald and Mr Eugene Braslavskiy. I thank them for their research, thorough preparations and scheduling to accommodate our many busy diaries, which I am sure is not always easy. Their attention to detail, diligence and administration make the work of the committee much smoother. I ask that council members note this report.

The Hon. J.S.L. DAWKINS (20:52): I thank the Hon. Mr Ngo for his remarks and I am sure they are echoed by other members of the committee, particularly around the efforts of the staff. As I mentioned, before we had the two permanent staff, the work of Anthea Howard while she was also doing other duties in the House of Assembly was outstanding.

One thing many of us who have served on a lot of committees have found is that, sometimes when you are in the community, things are brought back to you that you did on a committee some distant time ago. In recent times, I have had a number of comments in my work in suicide prevention about people who contributed to or read of the work of the Occupational Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation committee in its inquiry into mental health and suicide prevention in the workplace a number of years ago, back under the chairmanship of the Hon. Steph Key. That committee helped a number of those state agencies to lift their game in that area.

Sometimes we wonder about the value of the work we do, but it is worth putting on the record that those remarks have been brought back to me several times in recent weeks. With those remarks, I commend the motion to the council.

Motion carried.