Tuesday, 10 September 2024

Housing

Evan MULHOLLAND (Northern Metropolitan) (12:27): (657) My question is to the Minister for Housing. Minister, last week Mr Setka entered the Footscray Hospital and Metro Tunnel construction sites. Can you confirm if Mr Setka is also welcome on Victorian government housing construction sites?

Harriet SHING (Eastern Victoria – Minister for Housing, Minister for Water, Minister for Equality) (12:28): Mr Mulholland, again, let us talk about some fundamentals on right of entry. Let us go back to the fundamentals about exercising rights of entry and let us talk about how building sites are inherently dangerous places. As I have talked to in this place on a number of occasions before, the four most dangerous worksites in Victoria – where fatalities, serious injuries and near misses are recorded disproportionately at greater numbers than anywhere else – are transport, agriculture, mining, and building and construction. For that reason, Mr Mulholland, members of the public are not permitted to be on building sites. In order to exercise a right-of-entry permit you must have the relevant right-of-entry permit and you must be there to represent a member of a relevant employee organisation. There are a few other components of right of entry and the exercise of right-of-entry powers. So, Mr Mulholland, I would invite you, as I have done for you and your colleagues on many occasions now, to familiarise yourself with the way in which industrial relations is regulated through the federal space, through the authorised representatives of employee organisations act of 2009, through the Fair Work Act 2009 and through relevant powers as they can be exercised under health and safety legislation at a state level.

I do not accept, yet again, the premise of your question. I am not sure who is drafting them for you, but they show a manifest incompetence when it comes to a fundamental understanding of the way in which rights of entry are exercised. What I would say to you, Mr Mulholland, is that members of the public who are not entering a worksite for the purpose of representing an employee of a relevant employee organisation are not permitted to be on site. As I understand, the matters that you have referred to were the subject of referrals to the relevant law enforcement authorities, and the way in which they responded to those matters is a question for them. You may also wish to ask questions of that nature to the relevant minister as it might relate to, I do not know, police, as it might relate to workplace health and safety, as it might relate to the Premier or indeed anyone else. Mr Mulholland, I have –

Melina Bath: He’s welcome – is that what you’re saying?

Harriet SHING: Ms Bath, I will take up that interjection. You do not understand the way in which right of entry is exercised, despite how many times I say it, and you do not understand the fact that members of the public are not permitted on building sites. What a shame that you do not understand that members of the public are not allowed on building sites, because what would building site safety look like under you, where you voted against industrial manslaughter, where you voted against –

Georgie Crozier: On a point of order, President, the minister is clearly debating the question. It is a very simple question, President. I will repeat it –

The PRESIDENT: No, it does not need to be repeated.

Georgie Crozier: All it needs is a yes or no, and she has not answered it.

The PRESIDENT: I think the minister has finished her answer – 4 seconds.

Harriet SHING: I would hate to see any member of the public injured on a building site, including you, Mr Mulholland.

Evan MULHOLLAND (Northern Metropolitan) (12:31): Minister, given that the Premier and the government are seemingly powerless to stop Mr Setka from entering taxpayer-funded projects, what steps have you taken to ensure that Mr Setka will not be able to access Victorian government housing projects?

Harriet SHING (Eastern Victoria – Minister for Housing, Minister for Water, Minister for Equality) (12:32): Mr Mulholland, let us go back to IR 101 again. No member of the public is permitted to be on a building site, because to do so would be to invite exposure to unacceptable risk to health and safety not just for that person or those people but for other workers. That is why we have workplace health and safety laws. That is why we have occupational health and safety frameworks. That is why we have enacted reforms that you oppose, Mr Mulholland, time and time again.

Evan Mulholland: On a point of order, President, on relevance, I did not ask for a background. I asked what steps the minister has taken to ensure that Mr Setka does not enter Victorian government housing projects, not a background on workplace relations 101.

The PRESIDENT: The minister is responding that there are current laws that apply, so I think that she is being relevant to the question.

Harriet SHING: No member of the public is permitted to be on a building site, for the reason that I have outlined. It is my obligation and responsibility to make sure that workplace health and safety rules, laws, regulations and standards are adhered to. I do that. I will continue to do that. That is my job. If only we could say the same about what your intentions might be if ever you are in a situation to have that influence.