SafeWork SA budget to be cut by $6.4m, threatening worker safety and investigations, ICAC told
THE already besieged SafeWork SA will face severe budget cuts of more than $6m this year — as its investigative arm is crippled with plummeting staff rates and insufficient training, the state’s corruption watchdog has heard.
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PLUMMETING staff rates and insufficient training have crippled SafeWork SA’s investigative capabilities, the state’s corruption watchdog has heard, as the agency faces severe budget cuts.
SafeWork SA, which ICAC Commissioner Bruce Lander is probing for possible maladministration, will be asked to find millions in savings this year, Treasurer Rob Lucas has confirmed.
The public sector union, which says SafeWork SA is already beset by myriad issues, claims the budget cuts amount to “maladministration” and would put workers at risk.
Mr Lucas said the final cuts would be confirmed in the September State Budget and would include both reductions promised by the former Labor government before the election, as well as fresh savings.
During submissions before the ICAC inquiry, a cut of $6.4 million was cited by the Public Service Association.
An email from SafeWork SA executive director Martyn Campbell to staff in May announced the cut, which would account for 17 per cent of the regulator’s budget.
Mr Lucas said the $6.4 million was an estimate and the figure would be released as part of the State Budget and was likely to target the agency’s vehicle budget. PSA general secretary Nev Kitchin said the budget cuts would be unsustainable.
“The bottom line is that these cuts will likely result in fewer inspections, less assistance for employers, less enforcement, fewer prosecutions, less deterrence and, most importantly, less safety for workers,” Mr Kitchin said.
“Even the most sophisticated and efficient inspector would find it difficult to function effectively under such cut backs.”
Pam Gurner-Hall, whose partner Jorge Castillo-Riffo, 54, was killed at the new Royal Adelaide Hospital construction site in November 2014, told The Advertiser it was outrageous the State Government would consider scuttling SafeWork further.
“The lack of staff is one of the major reasons why their investigations have been so poor.,” Ms Gurner-Hall said.
“It is gobsmacking but I’m not surprised to be honest. I don’t think there was a serious investigation (into Jorge’s death) from the beginning and I don’t know why they would cut the funding even further.
“It makes the government complicit with the poor investigation standards within SafeWork SA.”
Mr Kitchin said a “revolving door syndrome” had affected the top ranks of SafeWork SA.
A specialist investigator unit established in 2015 was budgeted to include 10 full-time investigators plus two team leaders and a manager.
As of May 2018, only one authorised work, health and safety investigator was working for the unit, down from eight two years before.
Mr Kitchin described the experience shortage as a “disaster for SafeWork and its many hard working, talented and committed staff members”.
“What this means is that SafeWork has lost virtually all of its most experienced work, health and safety investigators,” he said.
Over a two-year period, SafeWork SA had three executive directors, six directors of investigations and four managers of investigation teams, Mr Kitchin told the inquiry.
“This seemingly revolving door exercise in executive succession leaves a lot to be desired,” he said.
“It can often give rise to a lack of strategic focus, ad hoc short-term priorities, declining staff morale, staff retention issues, misinformation and loss of direction and guidance.”
The resourcing cuts had also affected internal training programs. An important training course which had previously taken 12 months to complete had been reduced to only five weeks. Mr Kitchin said the training reductions were caused by a lack of “adequate staffing”.
Mr Lucas said the savings would be made in ways which did not affect the day to day functioning of SafeWork.
“There are areas were money can be saved without impacting the functioning of SafeWork,” he said.
Mr Lander launched the SafeWork SA inquiry following complaints and reports about the agency over five years.
