❓ The Minister for Industrial Relations outlines the WA government's response to COVID-19, ensuring public sector workers, including casuals, are not financially disadvantaged if unwell or needing to care for someone. A special COVID-19 leave is being provided.
AnsweredQoN 163Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
CORONAVIRUS —
PUBLIC SECTOR WORKERS
163. Ms C.M. ROWE to the Minister for Industrial Relations:
I refer to the state government's
response to COVID-19. Can the minister outline to the house how this government
is working to reduce the spread of COVID-19 by ensuring all public sector
workers including casual workers are not financially disadvantaged in the event
they become unwell or need to care for a loved one?
PUBLIC SECTOR WORKERS
163. Ms C.M. ROWE to the Minister for Industrial Relations:
I refer to the state government's
response to COVID-19. Can the minister outline to the house how this government
is working to reduce the spread of COVID-19 by ensuring all public sector
workers including casual workers are not financially disadvantaged in the event
they become unwell or need to care for a loved one?
AnswerView source ↗
I am pleased with that question so
that I can outline some of the work that the government is doing in response to
COVID-19.
Over the three years of the Labor
government, we have been reducing use of labour hire and reducing the casual
workforce in the public service so that we have more permanent full-time and
part-time public servants so that they can enjoy sick leave and other
entitlements. Of course, there still remains a sizeable casual workforce. I want to say that the government in Western Australia
is responding to the call from commonwealth government to ensure that
casual workers are not unfairly treated in this difficult situation that the
country finds itself in. The federal Minister for Industrial Relations,
Christian Porter, told me on Friday that there are three and a half million
casuals in our workforce across the country, and they are all potentially in
great difficulty. If they are required to absent themselves from work, they may
not be paid. That would be a burden on them as individuals and might lead them to make unwise decisions and unnecessarily expose
the community. The government has responded to that challenge , and we
are providing a special type of leave for COVID-19. It will be available for
all employees of government, including casuals. It is paid leave with pay
calculated in the same way as it would be for annual leave, excluding the leave
loading. It does not affect existing annual leave or long service leave
accruals. It will not accrue from year to year. It is available to all public
sector employees, including casuals. Pay for casual employees is to be
calculated according to the preceding four-week average of all the shifts that
they would otherwise be rostered for. It is available for people who have
contracted COVID-19, need to care for another person who has COVID-19 or is required to self-isolate, or cannot access
school or other care arrangements because of COVID-19, or are otherwise prevented from working because of COVID-19. This is the government's
response here in Western Australia to ensure that our casual employees are not
disadvantaged. I want to join with Christian Porter, the federal Minister for
Industrial Relations, in calling for action by other major employers. I call
for other large businesses in Western Australia to extend this COVID-19 leave
to their casual workforce to make sure that these casual employees are not
unfairly disadvantaged. I also particularly want to call on local government to
follow the lead of the state government in providing COVID-19 leave to their
casual workforce. We all know that small businesses are going to have many
challenges in dealing with this matter, but I am calling for those larger
businesses that have more resources and for local governments to join the
commonwealth government and the state government in extending this entitlement
to their casual workforce so that we can continue to work together as a nation
and as a state to fight this terrible situation.
that I can outline some of the work that the government is doing in response to
COVID-19.
Over the three years of the Labor
government, we have been reducing use of labour hire and reducing the casual
workforce in the public service so that we have more permanent full-time and
part-time public servants so that they can enjoy sick leave and other
entitlements. Of course, there still remains a sizeable casual workforce. I want to say that the government in Western Australia
is responding to the call from commonwealth government to ensure that
casual workers are not unfairly treated in this difficult situation that the
country finds itself in. The federal Minister for Industrial Relations,
Christian Porter, told me on Friday that there are three and a half million
casuals in our workforce across the country, and they are all potentially in
great difficulty. If they are required to absent themselves from work, they may
not be paid. That would be a burden on them as individuals and might lead them to make unwise decisions and unnecessarily expose
the community. The government has responded to that challenge , and we
are providing a special type of leave for COVID-19. It will be available for
all employees of government, including casuals. It is paid leave with pay
calculated in the same way as it would be for annual leave, excluding the leave
loading. It does not affect existing annual leave or long service leave
accruals. It will not accrue from year to year. It is available to all public
sector employees, including casuals. Pay for casual employees is to be
calculated according to the preceding four-week average of all the shifts that
they would otherwise be rostered for. It is available for people who have
contracted COVID-19, need to care for another person who has COVID-19 or is required to self-isolate, or cannot access
school or other care arrangements because of COVID-19, or are otherwise prevented from working because of COVID-19. This is the government's
response here in Western Australia to ensure that our casual employees are not
disadvantaged. I want to join with Christian Porter, the federal Minister for
Industrial Relations, in calling for action by other major employers. I call
for other large businesses in Western Australia to extend this COVID-19 leave
to their casual workforce to make sure that these casual employees are not
unfairly disadvantaged. I also particularly want to call on local government to
follow the lead of the state government in providing COVID-19 leave to their
casual workforce. We all know that small businesses are going to have many
challenges in dealing with this matter, but I am calling for those larger
businesses that have more resources and for local governments to join the
commonwealth government and the state government in extending this entitlement
to their casual workforce so that we can continue to work together as a nation
and as a state to fight this terrible situation.
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