HANSARD
SITTING CALENDAR
SEARCH
LIVE BROADCAST
Hansard Dynamic Subject Index
Legislative Council - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, First Session (54-1)
2019-10-16 Daily Xml
Contents
Pdf Xml

MATES in Construction

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (17:44): I move:

1. That this council notes that—

(a) males in the building and construction industry are twice as likely to commit suicide than males in other jobs;

(b) males in the building and construction industry are six times more likely to die through suicide than in a workplace accident;

(c) between 2001 and 2015, there were 3,000 construction deaths by suicide, with 2,958 being males and 42 females;

(d) every two days in Australia, a construction worker takes their own life; and

(e) suicide kills more men than the total of workplace accidents and road accidents combined.

2. That this council acknowledges the valuable work done by MATES in Construction to—

(a) reduce suicide in the construction industry and promote health and wellbeing;

(b) raise awareness about suicide; and

(c) make it easier to access help that is practical, professional and appropriate.

3. That this council notes that the Construction Industry Training Board recently cut the $50,000 funding it previously provided to MATES in Construction and refused a funding request of $150,000.

4. That this council condemns the heartless and short-sighted decision to cut the funding and calls on the government to make an ongoing funding commitment of at least $150,000 per annum to MATES in Construction for this life-saving initiative.

I move this motion with a great deal of sadness, given the callous nature of this cut. The purpose of this motion is to call on the Marshall Liberal government to immediately provide funding to MATES in Construction in South Australia, which recently had its funding cut by a ministerially appointed board.

As mentioned, males in the building and construction industry are twice as likely to commit suicide as males in other jobs. They are six times more likely to die through suicide than through a workplace accident, and this is in the construction industry, which we acknowledge has high rates of workplace accidents.

MATES in Construction's key objectives are to reduce suicide in the construction industry and promote health and wellbeing, raise awareness of suicide and make it easier to access help that is practical, professional and appropriate. The government-appointed Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) cut the funding it previously provided for MATES in Construction, which is a widely acclaimed suicide prevention program for construction workers.

As members in this place would recall, over the last 12 months, the Marshall Liberal government, led by minister Pisoni's actions, has demanded radical changes to the Construction Industry Training Board. Minister Pisoni removed the requirement to have unions, who represent workers in the construction industry and others, and stacked the board with his mates, including accountant Mr Nicholas Handley, who, up until recently, was in charge of fundraising for the member for Unley's local branch.

These so-called reforms were opposed by the opposition and the Greens but supported by SA-Best and the Hon. John Darley. I do not think for a moment that it was the intention of the SA-Best members or the Hon. Mr Darley that part of the result of that decision would be that funding to MATES in Construction would be cut, but this is what we get when we follow blind ideology. This is what we get when we follow, or allow a government to follow, blind hatred of unions. They removed the requirement for those whose core concern is the wellbeing of workers to be represented on this board, and this is the result.

Upon the formation of the new CITB, the board decided to cut all funding to MATES in Construction. They failed to explain why this funding had been cut. Presumably, they believed it was not their core business. If the consensus provisions that were removed from the CITB act had remained in place, this would not have happened. MATES in Construction's funds would not have been allowed to be removed if the consensus provisions were still in place. If the requirement for workers' representatives to be on the board had remained, this would not have occurred. If SA-Best or the Hon. Mr Darley had opposed these changes to the act, this cut to suicide prevention would not have occurred.

The funding enabled delivery of the Life Skills Toolbox program which supports young apprentices entering the industry. The cut has been made despite common knowledge that young men working in construction are three times more likely to die by suicide than other males of a similar age in other industries. The funding cut means that they will have to charge users for some of their programs. That will have real consequences that will hurt many young apprentices in the construction industry. No longer will young male apprentices be able to easily access this successful program, and that is an absolute disgrace.

Members in this place might be asking: when was this decision made and when was MATES in Construction made aware of this callous cut? Sadly, the answer is that they were advised of the cut to the suicide prevention program the day before World Suicide Prevention Day. This callous and reckless cut should be reversed immediately. I urge the government, and in particular the Premier's Advocate for Suicide Prevention, the Hon. John Dawkins, who told this place a few weeks ago that he himself was not made aware of the cut until it was released in the media, to advocate very strongly. We need to have advocates against this cut—

The Hon. J.S.L. Dawkins interjecting:

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN: No. We need to have advocates who will advocate for suicide prevention regardless of the forum, regardless of party politics. I am sure that he has taken some actions. In fact, he said that he had, so I pay tribute to him for doing that. But what this means is that that is not going to help those apprentices who may not access this program because of the cuts.

Upon this cut being revealed, the minister who can reverse the decision of the Construction Industry Training Board, innovation and skills minister, David Pisoni, stated that this program is not 'core business' of the board despite the Construction Industry Training Fund Act stating that one of their roles is to promote increased occupational health and safety within the building and construction industry through training. What could be more fundamental to safety than reducing the industry's unacceptably high suicide rate? Where are the minister's priorities, where are the board's priorities, if that is not a central part of their role?

This is a program that builders support, group training organisations support and, of course, unions support. It seems the only people who do not support this funding are the minister and his hand-picked mates on the CITB. This outrage is something that both The Advertiser and regional papers such as The Border Watch and The South Eastern Times have covered extensively over the last few weeks, and I commend them for doing so. This cut will affect regional apprentices at least as much as those in the city.

I commend the secretary of the CEPU, Mr John Adley, who has been a vocal critic of these cuts, along with his union, and who has strongly represented workers who are worse off because of these cuts. He told me recently how many members of the CEPU had seen firsthand the tragedy of suicide in the construction industry and spoke of how MATES in Construction plays such a crucial role in reducing suicide. Other unions have also condemned the cut. I thank MATES in Construction for speaking out against this cut and for calling on the Marshall Liberal government to provide funding immediately.

This decision is short-sighted. This decision is callous. This decision is wrong. We call on the government to commit ongoing funding of at least $150,000 per annum to MATES in Construction as one small way of stopping suicides in this state.

Debate adjourned on motion of Hon. J.S.L. Dawkins.

PARLIAMENTARY BUSINESS
MEMBERS
GET INVOLVED
ABOUT PARLIAMENT
VISIT
LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY
CONTACT