Bob Katter (Kennedy, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

Coercive powers are used. We do not live in a jungle. We live in a civilised society, and we must attempt at all times to assert the principle of a civilised society where we do not have coercive powers. Why is it that in no other area of the law do we have coercive powers?

In this case we are talking about safety. We are talking about riggers working on steel skeletons 40 storeys above the ground. We are talking about people going down mines, where, if a cable is not properly tied down, the entire roof will collapse. For those who think that does not happen, I was in a taxi in Mt Isa and I asked the driver, 'Why did you leave a job at $200,000 a year as a miner?' He said, 'Because I was asked to do the tie-down cables.' I said, 'But you don't know anything about tie-down cables,' and he said, 'Too bloody right I don't. I told the young engineer, "No way in the world," and he said: "Well, you're the only one who's got any experience here. No way in the world will I touch it." ' Because he did not want to appear to be stupid, this young engineer went off and attached the cables himself. Twelve minutes after crib time the entire roof of the crib came down, and it would have killed 16 people.

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