WORKCOVER - DON'T GAG DEBATE

3 June 2008

SA Unions Secretary Janet Giles, will resume her Parliament vigil today, as the state Government's controversial WorkCover bill returns to Parliament.

At 2.15 the government will move a motion to suspend standing orders to finish the WorkCover debate by 6.00 pm Thursday.

Debate on the Bill will resume after Question Time at about 3.30 pm.

Ms Giles understands that non-government MP's Mark Parnell and Anne Bressington have a range of amendments they wish to present.

"The move to suspend standing orders and try to push through the Bill by Thursday is an attempt to gag debate on this important issue."

"The stage government knows this Bill stinks and it's trying to avoid scrutiny of it."

"We encourage the government to allow proper, comprehensive debate."

"The democratic processes of Parliament should not be thwarted to satisfy the government's increasingly desperate efforts to push through this ill conceived and dangerous law."

"Instead of being concerned about looking good, the government should do the fair, decent, honourable and logical thing, and put the best interests of working families foremost.  The Bill as it stands is, in Mike Rann's own words from 1195 "an assault on workers and an assault on families" and "punishes workers for their injuries and blames them if they do not heal",  It's not too late to change this Bill - it is possible to achieve a fair fix for WorkCover", Ms Giles says.