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AWU fronts Parliamentary inquiry to urge government to strengthen workplace violence penalties

AWU Queensland Secretary Stacey Schinnerl will fronted a Parliamentary Committee hearing today to call on the government to make it clearer in the law that assaults on Queensland Health operational workers should be treated as ‘serious assault’.

Section 340 of the Criminal Code 1899 provides for a crime of ‘serious assault’ against offenders who assault public officers at work.

There has long been confusion in the Queensland Health workforce about whether assaults perpetrated against certain employees are provided for in the Code.

This confusion is being caused by a very high rate of assault in the workplace, with very few charges of ‘serious assault’ laid on perpetrators who commit violence against staff.

The underutilisation of this section for assaults against Queensland Health operational workers would indicate that the current wording of the section does not clearly include these workers, especially considering the extreme rates of violence in their workplaces.

The AWU is of the firm belief that the Bill should be amended to clarify the scope of s340 of the Code to make it clear that the crime of ‘serious assault’ extends to offenders who assault Queensland Health operational workers while they are performing their work.

“Public hospital workers are subject to escalating levels of violence in the workplace,” Ms Schinnerl said.

“Recent data provided by Queensland Health to the Courier Mail in May suggested that we were on track to record over 45 assaults on hospital staff per day in the 2023 – 2024 financial year.

“Every worker deserves to come home at the end of their shift the same way they started it, and every worker deserves to be safe at work.

“The AWU is unapologetic in the belief that offenders who perpetrate violence against public servants in the course of their duty should face the full extent of the law.

“The current rate of violence in our public hospitals is an embarrassment to our society and requires serious action.”

Background

The AWU represents close to 20,000 workers in various industries across the public and private sectors. Among the union’s membership are thousands of workers in Queensland’s public hospitals.

These workers work in a variety of roles, including security officers, wardspeople, cleaners, food services workers, groundspeople, mental health nurses, clinical assistants and more.

‘Serious Assault’ In the Criminal Code

Section 340 of the Code provides for a crime of ‘serious assault’ against offenders who assault public officers while that officer is performing a function of their office.

This section acts as a powerful deterrent against assaulting certain public servants while they engaged in the course of their service.

As it is currently written, the section contains specific provisions and examples relating to police officers, child safety officers, correctional officers and employees of the Queensland Ambulance Service.

The AWU is submitting that the Code should specifically refer to Queensland Health operational workers in an attempt to end the underutilisation of the crime when charging someone who assaults a security officer or other operational worker in a public hospital.

The AWU believes this is leading to police opting to not utilise this section to charge offenders, despite constant cases of assault that would appear to meet the requirements of ‘serious assault’ under the Code.

The AWU Submission

The AWU Submission to the inquiry can be read here: https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:AP:31b4b802-b32c-42ab-9aad-a4fb08164e4d

 

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Program published for flood insurance inquiry hearing in Devonport, Tasmania

THE House Standing Committee on Economics has published the program for its upcoming public hearing in Devonport, Tasmania, as part of its inquiry into insurers’ responses to 2022 major floods claims.

The hearing will be held in the Aberdeen Room at the Paranaple Convention Centre on Wednesday, July 17, from 9.30am to 1pm, and will include evidence from local councils, business associations and residents.

The hearing program is available on the inquiry website.

 

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Flood insurance inquiry to visit Far North Queensland

THE House Standing Committee on Economics will hold public hearings in Cairns and Townsville, Queensland, as part of its inquiry into insurers’ responses to 2022 major floods claims.

The hearings will be held at Cairns RSL Club on Wednesday July 24 and Townsville RSL Clubon Thursday July 25.

Committee Chair Daniel Mulino MP said the committee hoped to learn from northern communities’ claims experiences following recent disasters, including cyclones.

“We are also interested in evidence of any improvements by the insurance industry since the Deloitte report on insurers’ responses to the 2022 floods and the related 2023 ASIC report on claims handling," Mr Mulino said.

Invitations have been issued to councils, business associations and community groups. Other organisations and individuals that wish to give evidence can email their interest to the Committee secretariat at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The committee is interested in:

  • the experiences of policyholders before, during and after making claims;
  • timeframes for resolving claims;
  • obstacles to resolving claims;
  • insurers’ communication with policyholders;
  • accessibility, affordability and quality of hydrology reports and other expert assessments;
  • affordability of insurance premiums; and
  • claimants’ experiences of insurers’ dispute resolution processes.

Dr Mulino said it may not be possible to accommodate everyone interested in speaking, but those who miss out “can still make a public or confidential submission, and/or complete our online survey".

More than 600 people have completed the inquiry’s survey about their experience with their insurer. The survey is open until July 31 and is available here.

Submissions can be uploaded through this online link or emailed to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. until July 31, 2024.

Programs for the Queensland hearings will be posted on the inquiry website closer to the time. A live audio stream of the hearings will be available on the APH website.

The committee’s final public hearing, to be held online in late July, will take evidence from expert and state government bodies.

The committee will report its findings by October 18, 2024.

For further information contact the Committee secretariat on 02 6277 4707 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

 

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Administration of Commonwealth regulations to be scrutinised by Audit Committee

THE Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit (JCPAA) has commenced an inquiry into the administration of Commonwealth regulations.

Chair of the JCPAA, Julian Hill MP, said, "Compliance with Commonwealth regulations is critical to achieving policy outcomes. Numerous Commonwealth agencies have to police regulatory compliance with limited resources, hence proper evidence-based risk-based activities are essential to focus limited resources.

"This inquiry will examine how agencies assess compliance risk, inform compliance and enforcement strategies, and identify and address incidences of non-compliance with Commonwealth rules and regulations," Mr Hill said. "The Parliament provides regulatory power to agencies, and we will assess the extent to which full and appropriate use is being made of these powers.”

The inquiry will have particular regard to any matters contained in or connected to the following Auditor-General Reports:

Submissions to the inquiry addressing the terms of reference are invited by Thursday, August 15, 2024.

Details of the inquiry – including the submissions received and public hearings – will be made available on the Inquiry website.

 

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New Audit Committee inquiry into contract management is 'logical sequel to procurement, probity and ethics'

THE Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit (JCPAA) has commenced an inquiry into the contract management frameworks operated by Commonwealth entities.

Chair of the JCPAA, Julian Hill MP, said, "Recent major inquiries into Commonwealth Procurement and Probity and Ethics revealed serious failings. Recent audit reports have highlighted similar issues ‘downstream’ of procurement in how agencies manage contracts once executed.

"The committee will examine whether the frameworks supporting contract management by various Commonwealth entities are fit for purpose to ensure project delivery.”

Mr Hill noted in this regard that “successful outcomes are very unlikely to be achieved from government procurement activities without effective contract management. This is therefore a vital capability for public sector agencies but one that commonly goes under the radar and is often lacking for a number of reasons".

"We will be carefully evaluating the levels of expertise, governance arrangements, record-keeping, performance measures, and policies and guidelines of a number of recently audited agencies with respect to their external contracts," Mr Hill said. "There are also ongoing probity issues which arise during the management of a contract and the committee will consider whether current frameworks and practices are fit for purpose.”

The inquiry will have particular regard to any matters contained in or connected to the following Auditor-General Reports:

Submissions to the inquiry addressing the  terms of reference are invited by Thursday, August 15, 2024.

Details of this inquiry – including the submissions received and public hearings – will be available on the inquiry website.

 

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