Stephen Smith (Perth, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Industry, Infrastructure and Industrial Relations) Share this | Hansard source

Part of these appropriations relate to the Office of Workplace Services. The minister is in the chamber and I refer him to a report of the Office of Workplace Services entitled Cowra Abattoirs: report of an investigation into alleged breaches of the Workplace Relations Act 1996. That is dated May 2006, and the last paragraph of the last page of that report, entitled Conclusions/recommendations, states:

In any event, the investigation leads to a conclusion that the “dominant” reason for Cowra Abattoirs conduct ... was to make the operation efficient and to ultimately secure the financial viability of the company .... Thus there does not appear to be a breach of ... the Act nor ... the section. It is therefore submitted that no further action is taken at this time.

Will the minister confirm the existence of this report? Will the minister confirm the conclusions and recommendations? As a consequence, will the minister finally admit that the conduct by the owners of the abattoir shortly after the government’s legislation came into effect was lawful under the act?

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