❓ Question regarding an anti-discrimination exemption granted to BAE Systems Australia and ASC Shipbuilding impacting workers on AUKUS projects. The government denies being briefed on the impacts and defers responsibility to the federal government.
AnsweredQoN 725Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
State Administrative Tribunal—Anti-discrimination exemption
725. Hon Sophie McNeill to the Leader of the House representing the Premier:
I refer to the
exemption from anti-discrimination laws granted by the State Administrative
Tribunal in June this year to BAE Systems Australia and ASC Shipbuilding. This
decision will reportedly impact workers "maintaining nuclear-powered
submarines at Henderson shipyard" and will "block people with
connections to certain countries" from working on AUKUS.
(1) Has the government been briefed on the impacts
of this decision?
(2) Can the government confirm that not all
Western Australians will be eligible for jobs on AUKUS operations?
(3) Does this decision permit these companies to
ban Chinese Australians and/or Arab Australians from working on AUKUS-affiliated
projects?
725. Hon Sophie McNeill to the Leader of the House representing the Premier:
I refer to the
exemption from anti-discrimination laws granted by the State Administrative
Tribunal in June this year to BAE Systems Australia and ASC Shipbuilding. This
decision will reportedly impact workers "maintaining nuclear-powered
submarines at Henderson shipyard" and will "block people with
connections to certain countries" from working on AUKUS.
(1) Has the government been briefed on the impacts
of this decision?
(2) Can the government confirm that not all
Western Australians will be eligible for jobs on AUKUS operations?
(3) Does this decision permit these companies to
ban Chinese Australians and/or Arab Australians from working on AUKUS-affiliated
projects?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the
honourable member for some notice of the question. The following answer is
provided on behalf of the Premier.
(1) No.
(2) The federal government is responsible for
setting the requirements for eligible workers performing roles in
Defence-related activities in accordance with its national security agenda.
This includes the need for national security clearances.
(3) The decision appears to allow the companies to
recruit and maintain their workforce in a manner that complies with the
contractual and legislative requirements in which they operate.
honourable member for some notice of the question. The following answer is
provided on behalf of the Premier.
(1) No.
(2) The federal government is responsible for
setting the requirements for eligible workers performing roles in
Defence-related activities in accordance with its national security agenda.
This includes the need for national security clearances.
(3) The decision appears to allow the companies to
recruit and maintain their workforce in a manner that complies with the
contractual and legislative requirements in which they operate.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.