Wednesday, 5 June 2019

 Mr M O’BRIEN (Malvern—Leader of the Opposition) (11:01): My question is for the Minister for Workplace Safety. When former Labor candidate John Anderson was outed for harassing others online, the minister intervened immediately and demanded he resign from a government board. Since learning CFMMEU boss John Setka will plead guilty to charges of harassing a woman and breaching a court order, has the minister demanded that Mr Setka be removed from all government boards?

The SPEAKER: I again remind the house of the convention of sub judice in this place, but I ask the minister to respond to matters—

Mr R Smith interjected.

The SPEAKER: The member for Warrandyte is warned.

 Ms HENNESSY (Altona—Attorney-General, Minister for Workplace Safety) (11:01): Can I thank the Leader of the Opposition for his question. The short answer to his question is no, I have not. WorkSafe is an independent statutory body. In terms of any appointments that are made to independent statutory bodies I have not appointed anyone in the terms that the Leader of the Opposition has so described.

 Mr M O’BRIEN (Malvern—Leader of the Opposition) (11:02): In a media release from the minister dated 8 March 2019 the minister said:

Sadly, it is common for family violence perpetrators to target women in the workplace, creating a health and safety risk.

Why won’t the minister ensure that women are safe in their workplaces by demanding that John Setka is removed from all government boards and all government worksites?

 Ms HENNESSY (Altona—Attorney-General, Minister for Workplace Safety) (11:02): Effectively I have nothing further to add to what I have already put forward. I would make the following point: some of the matters to which the opposition refers are still before the court, so I shall not be making any pronouncements about that.

I am very proud of our government’s commitment to family violence because it is a commitment that is real in a policy sense and it is a commitment that is real in a financial sense. That is not the sort of leadership we saw by the opposition before the last election when they squibbed it on the recommendations from the royal commission.

Mr M O’Brien: On a point of order, Speaker, the minister is debating the question. Her own words refer to the common practice of family violence perpetrators targeting women in the workplace. She is the Minister for Workplace Safety, so I am asking her, why won’t she take specific action in relation to somebody who is a known risk in relation to family violence in the workplace?

The SPEAKER: The minister has been relevant to the question asked. The minister has concluded her answer.