Sykes welcomes MP's office audit
Nationals Member for Benalla, Bill Sykes, has welcomed a decision to run a full access audit of all State MP’s electorate offices.
Dr Sykes said, “My Nationals colleague and Member for Northern Victoria Region, Damian Drum has raised his concerns a number of times with the Department of Parliamentary Services regarding the potential non-compliance of Electorate Offices with workplace regulations.
“Mr Drum has now received written confirmation that the Department has accepted his concerns about issues such as wheelchair access and facilities for the disabled at MP’s offices. Further the Department have written to all landlords advising of the need for an audit to determine what work was needed to make offices comply with state regulations.”
Dr Sykes continued, “It seems only reasonable to me that the offices of those who help make the laws also comply with them.
“Across the State, many MPs are occupying offices which I suspect would not meet the guidelines in areas such as disabled access.
“In some instances, long-serving MPs are in accommodation which might have once met the guidelines but don’t now, or some MPs simply moved into pre-existing electorate offices when they were first elected.
“The Department of Parliament Services has a list of key selection criteria for new offices and it is important the same criteria are applied to the more established offices”, Dr Sykes said.
Dr Sykes said, “My Nationals colleague and Member for Northern Victoria Region, Damian Drum has raised his concerns a number of times with the Department of Parliamentary Services regarding the potential non-compliance of Electorate Offices with workplace regulations.
“Mr Drum has now received written confirmation that the Department has accepted his concerns about issues such as wheelchair access and facilities for the disabled at MP’s offices. Further the Department have written to all landlords advising of the need for an audit to determine what work was needed to make offices comply with state regulations.”
Dr Sykes continued, “It seems only reasonable to me that the offices of those who help make the laws also comply with them.
“Across the State, many MPs are occupying offices which I suspect would not meet the guidelines in areas such as disabled access.
“In some instances, long-serving MPs are in accommodation which might have once met the guidelines but don’t now, or some MPs simply moved into pre-existing electorate offices when they were first elected.
“The Department of Parliament Services has a list of key selection criteria for new offices and it is important the same criteria are applied to the more established offices”, Dr Sykes said.
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posted by Greg Naylor at
3:29 PM
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