❓ Ms Davies questions the Minister about consultation locations for the Work Health and Safety Bill, particularly regarding the agricultural sector. The Minister confirms the bill will cover agriculture and highlights the industry's poor safety record, announcing a farm safety campaign.
AnsweredQoN 712Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
AGRICULTURE —
WORK HEALTH AND SAFETY BILL
712. Ms M.J. DAVIES to the Minister for Industrial
Relations:
I refer to the minister's
recently announced consultation sessions for the development of a modernised
work health and safety bill as well as associated regulations.
(1) Will the
proposed legislation and general regulations cover primary industries,
including agriculture, fishing and forestry?
(2) If yes to
(1), why has the minister omitted opportunities for consultation in the
wheatbelt and upper great southern, an area covering much of the state's
agricultural region?
WORK HEALTH AND SAFETY BILL
712. Ms M.J. DAVIES to the Minister for Industrial
Relations:
I refer to the minister's
recently announced consultation sessions for the development of a modernised
work health and safety bill as well as associated regulations.
(1) Will the
proposed legislation and general regulations cover primary industries,
including agriculture, fishing and forestry?
(2) If yes to
(1), why has the minister omitted opportunities for consultation in the
wheatbelt and upper great southern, an area covering much of the state's
agricultural region?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) I
thank the member very much for the question. It is a very interesting question.
The agricultural industry will certainly be covered by the regulations and by
the legislation. It is 10 times more likely that a person in the agricultural
industry will be killed at work than somebody in the mining industry. It is
time that the agricultural industry stepped up and started realising that we
cannot allow this to continue.
One of the challenges is that in the
agricultural sector it is considered acceptable to have children play on farm
equipment. This is a great challenge. We do not allow children to play on
mining equipment, but for some reason we see it as acceptable to have children
play on dangerous farm equipment. This is about the culture of the agricultural
industry. I am pleased to say that in cooperation with Co-operative Bulk
Handling Ltd and CSBP the government is launching a farm safety campaign. We
will be doing it at the Dowerin Field Day and it will continue —
Ms M.J. Davies : You missed
that one.
Mr W.J. JOHNSTON : Sorry, I am
naming the wrong field day, but it will kick-off at a field day in the
wheatbelt very soon that I will be attending. I am getting a pair from
Parliament, as I understand, to attend.
Mr P.C. Tinley : You are now.
Mr W.J. JOHNSTON : Yes, I am
now.
The current situation cannot
continue. I am pleased to say that the agricultural organisations, the
Pastoralists and Graziers Association and the Western Australian Farmers
Federation, are supporting the government's effort to move to a higher
level of commitment to farm safety. It is unacceptable to me, and I imagine to
everybody else in this chamber, that we have allowed these dangerous practices
to continue for such a long period. I am pleased that CBH and CSBP are
supporting this campaign with cash contributions towards the publicity effort
that we are doing to make sure that the agricultural sector is fully aware of
the challenges in this space.
I will finish this answer by
highlighting that the Premier's strong leadership has delivered 21 additional
inspectors to WorkSafe and a $500 000 budget—this is very important and
people may have missed this—to support a work safety campaign across
all parts of Western Australia. Noting as well that the Department of Mines,
Industry Regulation and Safety's engagement on the regulations includes
many opportunities for electronic input, I have no doubt that the department's
campaign of engagement on the regulations, which is only just commencing, will
be very comprehensive.
thank the member very much for the question. It is a very interesting question.
The agricultural industry will certainly be covered by the regulations and by
the legislation. It is 10 times more likely that a person in the agricultural
industry will be killed at work than somebody in the mining industry. It is
time that the agricultural industry stepped up and started realising that we
cannot allow this to continue.
One of the challenges is that in the
agricultural sector it is considered acceptable to have children play on farm
equipment. This is a great challenge. We do not allow children to play on
mining equipment, but for some reason we see it as acceptable to have children
play on dangerous farm equipment. This is about the culture of the agricultural
industry. I am pleased to say that in cooperation with Co-operative Bulk
Handling Ltd and CSBP the government is launching a farm safety campaign. We
will be doing it at the Dowerin Field Day and it will continue —
Ms M.J. Davies : You missed
that one.
Mr W.J. JOHNSTON : Sorry, I am
naming the wrong field day, but it will kick-off at a field day in the
wheatbelt very soon that I will be attending. I am getting a pair from
Parliament, as I understand, to attend.
Mr P.C. Tinley : You are now.
Mr W.J. JOHNSTON : Yes, I am
now.
The current situation cannot
continue. I am pleased to say that the agricultural organisations, the
Pastoralists and Graziers Association and the Western Australian Farmers
Federation, are supporting the government's effort to move to a higher
level of commitment to farm safety. It is unacceptable to me, and I imagine to
everybody else in this chamber, that we have allowed these dangerous practices
to continue for such a long period. I am pleased that CBH and CSBP are
supporting this campaign with cash contributions towards the publicity effort
that we are doing to make sure that the agricultural sector is fully aware of
the challenges in this space.
I will finish this answer by
highlighting that the Premier's strong leadership has delivered 21 additional
inspectors to WorkSafe and a $500 000 budget—this is very important and
people may have missed this—to support a work safety campaign across
all parts of Western Australia. Noting as well that the Department of Mines,
Industry Regulation and Safety's engagement on the regulations includes
many opportunities for electronic input, I have no doubt that the department's
campaign of engagement on the regulations, which is only just commencing, will
be very comprehensive.
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