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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, First Session (54-1)
2018-07-31 Daily Xml
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Workplace Safety

Mr TEAGUE (Heysen) (14:47): My question is to the Attorney-General.

Mr Koutsantonis: Hiding behind Dixers.

The SPEAKER: The member for West Torrens is called to order.

Mr TEAGUE: Will the Attorney-General outline to the house any updates about the use of ice in the workforce and the government's possible role in assisting businesses and employees in the future?

The Hon. V.A. CHAPMAN (Bragg—Deputy Premier, Attorney-General) (14:47): I thank the member for Heysen, a father of three beautiful children himself who knows that he wants to have a safe state for them to grow up in and that whenever they do undertake their business enterprises or jobs in the future it is going to be safe place to work in. It is not unfamiliar ground to any of the members here of the history of danger in the workplace where there are drugs—alcohol or illicit drugs. For a long time, this has been a concern, particularly in areas of high risk known in the workplace, such as manufacturing, farming, fishing, building and construction. These are all areas—

Mr Mullighan: Nation building.

The Hon. V.A. CHAPMAN: That's a churlish interjection from the Member for Lee; nevertheless, I will ignore it.

Mr Mullighan: Actually it was pretty funny.

The SPEAKER: The member for Lee will not interject.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Lee is warned. Deputy Premier, please do not respond to interjections. Please continue in silence.

The Hon. V.A. CHAPMAN: Thank you, Mr Speaker. The risk of death and serious injury in those industries is well known. Anyone dealing with heavy transport, whether they are on mining sites or delivering supplies over to the West Coast—these are major areas where people in the workplace are at risk if they are under the influence of any drug or alcohol. Pilots historically are in the unique position where they can't have any trace of alcohol, for example, in their bloodstream. There has been a cascading of regulation around high-risk industries such as mining and others that I have referred to.

When Business SA decided that they would convene a meeting last week, publish its white paper, disclose the work of scientists, toxicologists and others who have worked in this space, as to firstly identifying the seriousness of the level of, in this case, ice or methamphetamines—crystal methamphetamines in their purest form are clearly present and serious dangers in the workplace, not only because of their illicit nature but obviously the serious consequences of people coming off them. The frequency disclosed at the forum—and I was pleased to open this important forum, at which I represented the government—was that we had a very high consumption and a very high level, especially on Mondays and Tuesdays of each week when there is a trace of methamphetamine in their bloodstream.

They are a danger to themselves and they are certainly a danger to their work colleagues. Of course, apart from the human toll in relation to this issue, there is obviously the question of productivity in the workplace, the loss of days of employment and the inefficiency in the way they operate, etc., so we are very pleased to see Business SA taking charge in this regard and making sure that this is something on the agenda.

It was interesting to speak to some of those present, particularly those employing people who are apprentices or trainees. As members will know, the millennials are a very mobile group; they don't necessarily stay in their area of chosen industry after they have skilled, they move—unfortunately they move house, they move husbands, they move jobs, they move everything. However, on a serious note we need to consider, when people are asked, for example, to submit to a test in the workplace—if the workplace and industry decide to enforce random tests, and mining and other industries have already done this—what they are to do if the employee refuses to take the test, or takes the test and fails, and/or at that point leaves their workplace. That is the next challenge I have asked them to consider.

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