Parliamentary Committees

Parliamentary Committee on Occupational Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation

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

That the third report of the committee on an inquiry into workplace fatigue and bullying in South Australian hospitals and health services be noted.

(Continued from 19 February 2020.)

The Hon. T.T. NGO (16:10): As a member of the Parliamentary Committee on Occupational Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation, I join with the Hon. Mr John Dawkins MLC in bringing this report to the chamber's attention. The committee undertook the inquiry into workplace fatigue and bullying in South Australian hospitals and health services, and provided its findings in its third report now before the chamber.

The honourable member gave a broad summary of the context of the report when he spoke on this motion. My remarks will be brief, but I wish to highlight those who made submissions and came forward to share their experiences, knowledge and concerns as part of this inquiry. In undertaking this important work, the committee was presented with 66 submissions. Of these, 47 submissions came from individuals and 23 from organisations. In addition, there were a further 24 supplementary submissions.

During the inquiry, the committee also heard directly from 48 individual witnesses. Through these submissions and hearings, people and organisations bravely came forward for themselves and their workplaces. They participated in a process to improve those workplaces and work lives. While we feel comfortable within this building and sitting on committees, we cannot underestimate how daunting these processes are for members of the public. I thank all those people and organisations who brought their knowledge and experience to the committee to be considered in this inquiry.

Through this inquiry, the committee developed a deeper understanding of these high-pressured work environments in which staff are working long hours, doing shift work, overtime and being on call. From the significant experiences and information about workplaces presented, the committee brought together 27 recommendations in the report, representing the culmination of our work on this inquiry. These recommendations address improvement to systems and processes, complaint management and resolution, appropriate levels of accountability and accreditation.

During the coronavirus pandemic, the community has been able to bear witness to some of the great demands facing workers in health care. No doubt, many have gained insights into the stress and extremity of work in the healthcare sector. It is against this context that I urge the government to carefully consider and swiftly address the recommendations in this inquiry report. It is important we do all we can to provide safe, supportive workplaces where workplace culture issues and complaints can be expediently addressed and fairly resolved.

In closing, I acknowledge the efforts of all OSRC committee members who worked on this inquiry: the member for Morphett and Presiding Member, Mr Stephen Patterson MP; the Hon. John Dawkins MLC; the Hon. Tammy Franks MLC; the member for Taylor, Jon Gee MP; and the member for Davenport, Steve Murray MP. I also thank the committee's secretariat staff, who provided great support to members through their exceptional administrative and coordinating skills during the inquiry and in finalising the report.

On behalf of the committee, I thank our former parliamentary officer, Mr Simon Macdonald, and the committee's research officer, Mr Eugene Braslavskiy, for helping the committee to undertake this inquiry. We were well supported with their great dedication and commitment. I also welcome our new parliamentary officer, Mr Phil Frensham, and look forward to working with him. I urge members to review this report and for the government to act on it as a matter of priority.

The Hon. J.S.L. DAWKINS (16:15): The Hon. Ms Franks, who is also on the committee, has indicated that she does not wish to speak. In summing-up, I thank the Hon. Tung Ngo for his comments, and I thank the members of the committee for their commitment to this inquiry and to the other significant areas that we have looked at over the six years in which I was a member.

I am no longer on that committee, as the Hon. Dr Centofanti has taken my position, but I wish to reflect on my time under the former presiding member, the Hon. Steph Key, in the first four years, and more recently, as the Hon. Tung Ngo has said, under the member for Morphett in another place. I think we have achieved quite a bit on that committee over this time. I certainly will not delay the council with those details, but there is one aspect in which I think I and other committee members have failed: that is, to come up with a new name for the committee.

In telling someone that this is the Parliamentary Committee on Occupational Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation, most members and others have asked, 'Can't you come up with a new name for it?' I will accept that I have failed in this area in my time on the committee and I hope that others come up with a new title. I think there is a select committee looking at the parliamentary committee structure. Maybe we could task that committee with finding a name that is probably easier for the general public to digest, more so than worrying about any of us. With those words, I commend the motion to the council.

Motion carried.

At 16:19 the council adjourned until Tuesday 16 June 2020 at 14:15.