Greens spokesperson for Industrial Relations and Women Hon Alison Xamon MLC will re-introduce a Bill to Parliament designed to tackle the appalling 22% gender pay gap in Western Australia.
Making the announcement today to mark Zero Discrimination Day, Ms Xamon said her Industrial Relations (Equal Remuneration) Amendment Bill 2018 would allow the Western Australian Industrial Relations Commission to hear pay equity cases and to make enforceable equal remuneration orders to ensure employees are able to receive equal pay for work of equal value.
Greens spokesperson for Education Hon Alison Xamon MLC has called on the WA Government to follow the lead of New South Wales and stop using Year 9 NAPLAN test results to determine whether a student meets the minimum requirements for Year 12 graduation.
Ms Xamon said since 2016, WA students have had to meet reading, writing and numeracy requirements through Year 9 NAPLAN testing or the Online Literacy and Numeracy Assessment (OLNA) to achieve the Western Australian Certificate of Education (WACE) and graduate from Year 12.
Greens spokesperson for Health Hon Alison Xamon MLC has questioned the Government’s commitment to adopting recommendations set out in the Sustainable Health Review interim report, since it has already eroded services delivering the recommended outcomes.
Ms Xamon said while she was pleased the interim report recommended such common sense approaches as increasing focus on preventative health and telehealth services, McGowan Government funding cuts had diminished services and infrastructure already in place.
Greens spokesperson for Mental Health Hon Alison Xamon MLC has said the Code of Practice for the mental health of FIFO workers does not go far enough to assist in the prevention of adverse mental health and high suicide rates amongst FIFO workers.
Ms Xamon said while she was pleased the Code was finally out for public comment – nearly three years after the Parliamentary Inquiry which recommended it – it does not go far enough to meaningfully address the challenges originally raised in the Committee report.
Greens spokesperson for Corrective Services Hon Alison Xamon MLC has welcomed the publication of the Telethon Kids Institute research which details the extent of neurodevelopmental disability amongst young people currently held in custody at Banksia Hill.
“While the findings paint a heartbreaking picture, they are an important step to better understanding the reasons these children are offending in the first place,” Ms Xamon said.
