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Legislative Council - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2011-11-30 Daily Xml
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PATTERSON, MS M.

The Hon. CARMEL ZOLLO (14:46): My question is to the Minister for Industrial Relations. Can the minister advise the chamber about the outstanding career of Ms Michele Patterson and her significant contribution to the field of occupational health and safety and industrial relations in this state?

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY (Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for State/Local Government Relations) (14:46): I thank the honourable member for her very important question. I am pleased to advise the chamber on the outstanding career of Ms Michele Patterson, who has announced her decision to retire from the position of Executive Director of SafeWork SA at the end of the year on 31 December 2011, following nine years in the role.

Michele has played a prominent role in occupational health and safety in Australia, both at state and national levels, for over 25 years, representing both New South Wales and South Australia on numerous national boards and working parties on occupational health and safety standards. Michele's career in occupational health and safety commenced with her appointment as the first female inspector of industrial safety in South Australia in the early 1980s. That role was followed by positions in the South Australian Occupational Health and Safety Commission, after which she joined the Office of Consumer and Business Affairs, followed by a move to WorkCover New South Wales as Assistant General Manager in 1997.

In October 2002 Michele returned to South Australia and was appointed Executive Director of Workplace Services, now SafeWork SA, the regulatory authority responsible for both occupational health and safety and industrial relations in South Australia. This role was appealing to Michele as South Australia deals with safety and industrial relations together, therefore providing a great opportunity to work towards safe, fair and productive working lives in this state.

Since returning to South Australia Michele has been at the forefront of developing and implementing health and safety and industrial relations reform. Michele's valuable knowledge, hard work and experience have ensured that SafeWork SA is recognised as a strategic and high-performance labour inspectorate, which has also directly benefited the agency through exposure to and collaboration in international occupational health and safety and labour issues.

Over recent months Michele's work has focused on the national harmonisation of Australia's work health and safety laws in her role as chair of the national committee responsible for achievement of this most important safe work and business reform. Michele will continue in this national role until the end of March 2012.

As well as being South Australia's representative on Safe Work Australia, Michele is President of the International Association of Labour Inspection and has a number of academic qualifications, including a Master of Science in Health Policy and Management, Specialising in Occupational Health and Safety, from Harvard University in Boston.

I understand that following her retirement Michele will continue working towards consolidation of international occupational health and safety and fair work initiatives, within which she has been working towards a range of goals in a voluntary capacity for the past decade. Michele has had a distinguished career, and I take this opportunity to thank Michele for her leadership of SafeWork SA and wish her all the best for her future endeavours.

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