http://www.legislation.qld.gov.au/Bills/54PDF/2012/PSOLAB12.pdf
From the Queensland Nurses Union
“The QNU has called on the Director General of Queensland Health Dr Tony O’Connell to ‘please explain’ after the LNP government rushed through legislative changes which undermine job security and contracting provisions in state awards.
On 23 August the Queensland Government pushed through amendments to the Public Service Act 2008 (PS Act) and the Industrial Relations Act 1999 (IR Act) which effectively means Queensland Health employees are no longer protected by the job security provisions of their industrial instruments.
What’s more, public health services can now be contracted out to the private sector at will by Hospital and Health Services or Queensland Health as the system manager.
A Bill entitled Public Service and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2012 was announced to parliament around 4pm on 23 August 2012, and was passed into law by around 9.15 pm on the same day without any prior consultation or examination by a Legislative Assembly committee.
The QNU has called on the DG to clarify how the amended legislation might impact on the award entitlements outlined in the recently finalised Nurses and Midwives (Queensland Health) Certified Agreement (EB8) 2012 and what instructions he has given Queensland Health senior management on how to wield it…”