Incolink’s COVID-19 testing “impossible” under proposed laws

Every member can be proud of the way our industry has stood up to COVID-19. The virus has changed our lives at home and at work. Incolink testing has contributed to keeping worksites safe and workers, and their families, confident that they can keep working.

However, laws before the Commonwealth Parliament threaten to stop Incolink, and funds like ours, from making quick decisions to benefit workers and industry.

Over just a few days in late April, Incolink went from a discussion with State Government to standing up testing at worksites across Melbourne. This asymptomatic testing regime has since undertaken more than 18,000 tests across Melbourne, regional Victoria and Hobart and Launceston in Tasmania.

Workers and employers alike have credited Incolink for stepping up for the industry at a time of need.

The Fair Work (Worker Benefit) Bill would place an unprecedented layer of administration and governance around the work of our organisation. It would require us to jump through a range of hoops to determine whether any specific initiative is in the interests of all workers and require our independent (non-union and employer) directors to personally sign off every dollar of expenditure

Speaking to The Age/ Sydney Morning Herald Incolink CEO stood up for the strong governance we have and the burdens this Bill would bring:

"You would never risk undertaking anything like this for fear of violating the legislation and bringing down the wrath of [union watchdog, the Registered Organisations Commission]," Mr Locke said.

The paper also reported “Mr Locke said Incolink paid union-run training organisations to deliver courses that workers were happy with, as well as training providers run by employer groups. Incolink is briefing crossbenchers on its campaign because they will ultimately decide the fate of the bill if it is brought on for a vote in the Senate, where Labor opposes it.”