SECURITY
Under section 550 of the Fair Work Act, any person
or organisation who is ‘knowingly involved’ in
a workplace contravention may be held liable,
meaning all participants within a labour supply
chain are exposed to potential penalties if they
turn a blind eye to any workplace breaches.
FWO is also calling on principal contractors and
subcontractors to take action to ensure their
businesses are compliant, including by reviewing
and revising all practices to ensure their workers
are provided their due entitlements, seeking
independent professional advice prior to entering
into an agreement with councils.
In welcoming the report’s release ASIAL is calling
for ‘price makers’ to step up to the plate and play
a stronger leadership role when procuring security
services. Awarding tenders based on the lowest
price is sometimes confused as value for money.
When doing so councils run the risk of receiving an
inferior service, poorly trained and paid security
officers, inadequate supervision and security
providers failing to fulfil contractual obligations.
Local Government constituents deserve an
appropriate level of security to keep their
community safe, whether it is in civic spaces,
pedestrian malls, crowded places or at night.
To fully address the issues raised in the FWO
report, all levels of the supply chain need to take
responsibility for raising the quality of service
provided and for acting in accordance with
workplace laws.
Bryan de Caires is Chief Executive
Officer of the Australian Security
Industry Association Limited,
the peak body for security
professionals in Australia.
If this doesn’t happen, the race to the bottom
mentality will continue unabated – something that
will be to the detriment of the community, security
officers and legitimate providers of security services.
GOVLINK » ISSUE 2 2018
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