❓ Hon Jock Ferguson asks about resourcing of the Mines Safety division following the Kenner review. Hon Norman Moore responds, acknowledging the issue, outlining plans for increased resourcing and cost recovery review, and criticising politicisation of mine safety.
AnsweredQoN 644Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
MINE SAFETY — RESOURCING
I refer to the Kenner review of the Mines Safety and Inspection Act 1994, which recently identified a significant shortfall in the number of resource safety inspectors in the sector, and to the minister’s recent speech to the BHP Billiton contractor forum, in which he stated that the government was committed to resourcing the department’s resource safety division, and that he was considering a cost-recovery model for the inspectorate. When will the department’s resource safety division be resourced adequately? Hon NORMAN MOORE
I refer to the Kenner review of the Mines Safety and Inspection Act 1994, which recently identified a significant shortfall in the number of resource safety inspectors in the sector, and to the minister’s recent speech to the BHP Billiton contractor forum, in which he stated that the government was committed to resourcing the department’s resource safety division, and that he was considering a cost-recovery model for the inspectorate. When will the department’s resource safety division be resourced adequately? Hon NORMAN MOORE
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for the question. The resource safety division of the Department of Mines and Petroleum used to be part of the Department of Consumer and Employment Protection. I inherited that section of that agency from the previous government, and the staffing levels I inherited were those that are in existence now. I find it quite extraordinary that the honourable member’s colleague should be attacking the current government because of lack of resourcing of that part of the mines safety inspectorate. However, following the Kenner review, but more importantly following my own understanding of the circumstances surrounding mine safety in Western Australia, we will be taking quite significant action on this matter. My intention is to ensure that that part of government has a very significant increase in its resources. The member indicated in his question that I may be considering cost recovery, and I am. In fact, a departmental review of the whole funding mechanism that might be available to the government is being undertaken and I expect to have some information from that review as early as about two weeks from now. I want to make it very clear that I have every intention that we have adequate funds to properly resource the mines safety section of the Department of Mines and Petroleum. This is long overdue. As a final point, there is not a lot to be gained by unions or politicians seeking to politicise the issues surrounding mine safety and, indeed, I was very perplexed to read the other day that the underground seismic event that occurred at the Perseverance mine at Leinster was somehow or other the fault of the state government. I would love to be able to make the earth move, but that is not within my capacity at this point in my life. However, I want to make it very clear to the member and to his colleague Hon Jon Ford that they will see dramatic and significant improvements to this part of government administration in the very near future.
Hon NORMAN MOORE replied: I thank the member for the question. The resource safety division of the Department of Mines and Petroleum used to be part of the Department of Consumer and Employment Protection. I inherited that section of that agency from the previous government, and the staffing levels I inherited were those that are in existence now. I find it quite extraordinary that the honourable member’s colleague should be attacking the current government because of lack of resourcing of that part of the mines safety inspectorate. However, following the Kenner review, but more importantly following my own understanding of the circumstances surrounding mine safety in Western Australia, we will be taking quite significant action on this matter. My intention is to ensure that that part of government has a very significant increase in its resources. The member indicated in his question that I may be considering cost recovery, and I am. In fact, a departmental review of the whole funding mechanism that might be available to the government is being undertaken and I expect to have some information from that review as early as about two weeks from now. I want to make it very clear that I have every intention that we have adequate funds to properly resource the mines safety section of the Department of Mines and Petroleum. This is long overdue. As a final point, there is not a lot to be gained by unions or politicians seeking to politicise the issues surrounding mine safety and, indeed, I was very perplexed to read the other day that the underground seismic event that occurred at the Perseverance mine at Leinster was somehow or other the fault of the state government. I would love to be able to make the earth move, but that is not within my capacity at this point in my life. However, I want to make it very clear to the member and to his colleague Hon Jon Ford that they will see dramatic and significant improvements to this part of government administration in the very near future.
I thank the member for the question. The resource safety division of the Department of Mines and Petroleum used to be part of the Department of Consumer and Employment Protection. I inherited that section of that agency from the previous government, and the staffing levels I inherited were those that are in existence now. I find it quite extraordinary that the honourable member’s colleague should be attacking the current government because of lack of resourcing of that part of the mines safety inspectorate. However, following the Kenner review, but more importantly following my own understanding of the circumstances surrounding mine safety in Western Australia, we will be taking quite significant action on this matter. My intention is to ensure that that part of government has a very significant increase in its resources. The member indicated in his question that I may be considering cost recovery, and I am. In fact, a departmental review of the whole funding mechanism that might be available to the government is being undertaken and I expect to have some information from that review as early as about two weeks from now. I want to make it very clear that I have every intention that we have adequate funds to properly resource the mines safety section of the Department of Mines and Petroleum. This is long overdue. As a final point, there is not a lot to be gained by unions or politicians seeking to politicise the issues surrounding mine safety and, indeed, I was very perplexed to read the other day that the underground seismic event that occurred at the Perseverance mine at Leinster was somehow or other the fault of the state government. I would love to be able to make the earth move, but that is not within my capacity at this point in my life. However, I want to make it very clear to the member and to his colleague Hon Jon Ford that they will see dramatic and significant improvements to this part of government administration in the very near future.
The member indicated in his question that I may be considering cost recovery, and I am. In fact, a departmental review of the whole funding mechanism that might be available to the government is being undertaken and I expect to have some information from that review as early as about two weeks from now. I want to make it very clear that I have every intention that we have adequate funds to properly resource the mines safety section of the Department of Mines and Petroleum. This is long overdue. As a final point, there is not a lot to be gained by unions or politicians seeking to politicise the issues surrounding mine safety and, indeed, I was very perplexed to read the other day that the underground seismic event that occurred at the Perseverance mine at Leinster was somehow or other the fault of the state government. I would love to be able to make the earth move, but that is not within my capacity at this point in my life. However, I want to make it very clear to the member and to his colleague Hon Jon Ford that they will see dramatic and significant improvements to this part of government administration in the very near future.
As a final point, there is not a lot to be gained by unions or politicians seeking to politicise the issues surrounding mine safety and, indeed, I was very perplexed to read the other day that the underground seismic event that occurred at the Perseverance mine at Leinster was somehow or other the fault of the state government. I would love to be able to make the earth move, but that is not within my capacity at this point in my life. However, I want to make it very clear to the member and to his colleague Hon Jon Ford that they will see dramatic and significant improvements to this part of government administration in the very near future.
Hon NORMAN MOORE replied: I thank the member for the question. The resource safety division of the Department of Mines and Petroleum used to be part of the Department of Consumer and Employment Protection. I inherited that section of that agency from the previous government, and the staffing levels I inherited were those that are in existence now. I find it quite extraordinary that the honourable member’s colleague should be attacking the current government because of lack of resourcing of that part of the mines safety inspectorate. However, following the Kenner review, but more importantly following my own understanding of the circumstances surrounding mine safety in Western Australia, we will be taking quite significant action on this matter. My intention is to ensure that that part of government has a very significant increase in its resources. The member indicated in his question that I may be considering cost recovery, and I am. In fact, a departmental review of the whole funding mechanism that might be available to the government is being undertaken and I expect to have some information from that review as early as about two weeks from now. I want to make it very clear that I have every intention that we have adequate funds to properly resource the mines safety section of the Department of Mines and Petroleum. This is long overdue. As a final point, there is not a lot to be gained by unions or politicians seeking to politicise the issues surrounding mine safety and, indeed, I was very perplexed to read the other day that the underground seismic event that occurred at the Perseverance mine at Leinster was somehow or other the fault of the state government. I would love to be able to make the earth move, but that is not within my capacity at this point in my life. However, I want to make it very clear to the member and to his colleague Hon Jon Ford that they will see dramatic and significant improvements to this part of government administration in the very near future.
I thank the member for the question. The resource safety division of the Department of Mines and Petroleum used to be part of the Department of Consumer and Employment Protection. I inherited that section of that agency from the previous government, and the staffing levels I inherited were those that are in existence now. I find it quite extraordinary that the honourable member’s colleague should be attacking the current government because of lack of resourcing of that part of the mines safety inspectorate. However, following the Kenner review, but more importantly following my own understanding of the circumstances surrounding mine safety in Western Australia, we will be taking quite significant action on this matter. My intention is to ensure that that part of government has a very significant increase in its resources. The member indicated in his question that I may be considering cost recovery, and I am. In fact, a departmental review of the whole funding mechanism that might be available to the government is being undertaken and I expect to have some information from that review as early as about two weeks from now. I want to make it very clear that I have every intention that we have adequate funds to properly resource the mines safety section of the Department of Mines and Petroleum. This is long overdue. As a final point, there is not a lot to be gained by unions or politicians seeking to politicise the issues surrounding mine safety and, indeed, I was very perplexed to read the other day that the underground seismic event that occurred at the Perseverance mine at Leinster was somehow or other the fault of the state government. I would love to be able to make the earth move, but that is not within my capacity at this point in my life. However, I want to make it very clear to the member and to his colleague Hon Jon Ford that they will see dramatic and significant improvements to this part of government administration in the very near future.
The member indicated in his question that I may be considering cost recovery, and I am. In fact, a departmental review of the whole funding mechanism that might be available to the government is being undertaken and I expect to have some information from that review as early as about two weeks from now. I want to make it very clear that I have every intention that we have adequate funds to properly resource the mines safety section of the Department of Mines and Petroleum. This is long overdue. As a final point, there is not a lot to be gained by unions or politicians seeking to politicise the issues surrounding mine safety and, indeed, I was very perplexed to read the other day that the underground seismic event that occurred at the Perseverance mine at Leinster was somehow or other the fault of the state government. I would love to be able to make the earth move, but that is not within my capacity at this point in my life. However, I want to make it very clear to the member and to his colleague Hon Jon Ford that they will see dramatic and significant improvements to this part of government administration in the very near future.
As a final point, there is not a lot to be gained by unions or politicians seeking to politicise the issues surrounding mine safety and, indeed, I was very perplexed to read the other day that the underground seismic event that occurred at the Perseverance mine at Leinster was somehow or other the fault of the state government. I would love to be able to make the earth move, but that is not within my capacity at this point in my life. However, I want to make it very clear to the member and to his colleague Hon Jon Ford that they will see dramatic and significant improvements to this part of government administration in the very near future.
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