Queensland Workplace Rights Ombudsman
Posted by Administrator (admin) on Nov 14 2008
2008 >>

Question:

Mr LAWLOR:

My question is to the Minister for Transport, Trade, Employment and Industrial Relations. Can the minister please highlight the success of the Queensland Workplace Rights Ombudsman?

Answer:

Mr MICKEL:

Yes, I can. As a matter of fact, the appointment of the Workplace Rights Ombudsman has been very successful. Up until 30 June this year, they had received, I am told, 19,259 calls on the hotline, resulting in 687 individual investigations. The purpose of this office of course is to umpire—to referee—disputes between parties.

Mr Rickuss: Like Robbie and Ronan Lee.

Mr MICKEL: In answer to the honourable member for Lockyer, if he did not have varicose veins he would be completely colourless. The point is that the ombudsman has to referee and umpire decisions between businesses. One of the things I fear that the ombudsman cannot umpire is the dispute between the parties here over who should pay the bill. I was told this morning, by way of Madonna King, by the member for Robina that one of the people being celebrated was of course the member for Beaudesert—his 25 years in parliament. That is probably why they could not work out the bill. They probably could not work out whether Charlie Doyle was there or not.

Have you ever seen a happier bunch of people than this lot? There they are—even the member for Moggill has the victory sign up.

Mr Malone: Is he allowed to hold that up?

Mr MICKEL: The one person not smiling is the member for Maroochydore. So she was probably lumbered with the bill. But, as we discovered yesterday, they probably did not pay the bill because she was probably trying to work out all night, ‘Do I have to pay the bill? ‘Yeah but, no but, yeah but, no.’ So you probably left without paying it. This morning I had a look at the web site of the poor restaurant. It states—

Fetta’s Greek Taverna This traditionally decorated Greek eatery serves up a variety of [foods] ... to hordes of hungry locals and tourists. If you’re in the mood to take out some aggression, the plate-smashing here is guaranteed to do the trick.

That is why they had all you jokers sitting down: they were probably scared that you were going to throw the chairs! Judging from what happened in Cairns, I am now going to advise all of the restaurants
where the Liberal National Party are going in the next couple of weeks to go on credit watch in anticipation of their arrival. For example, on 16 November they will be at the South Toowoomba Bowls
Club. Look out, staff. Make sure you get the cash in advance. What about the Broadwater electorate? On 17 November they will be at the Friendly Orca Seafood Restaurant. The member for Southport should duck down there this afternoon and tell them what is coming—tell them that they should get cash up-front.

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