O'Connor Damien: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeO'Connor Damien: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 04 August 2011. Volume:674;Page:20341. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]8.Hon DAMIEN O’CONNOR (Labour) to theMinister of Labour: Can she assure underground miners that the Government is doing everything possible to keep them safe at work?Hon KATE WILKINSON (Minister of Labour): Firstly it is important to remember that the primary responsibility for health and safety in the workplace lies with the employer. That is a fundamental part of the Health and Safety in Employment Act.Secondly this Government does take the safety of underground miners seriously. That is why we established the Royal Commission on the Pike River Coal Mine Tragedy: to find out what exactly went wrong at Pike River and where safety measures could be improved in the future. We also ordered an independent safety audit of all underground mines to ensure they were operating safely. Underground mining is hazardous and the Department of Labour is working closely with New Zealand’s three operational underground mines. It is also well advanced in recruiting for another mine inspector. The resources dedicated to this sector are also being evaluated.Hon Damien O’Connor: Has she instructed her department to employ more underground mine inspectors than the one we have at the moment and to increase mine visits from more than “occasional” given her health and safety policy manager’s admission at the royal commission inquiry that “… we are now thinking that actually we were too hands-off …”?Hon KATE WILKINSON: I can confirm that we are certainly taking a close look at the resources and expertise in the department to ensure that it can carry out its role of overseeing the mining sector.Hon Damien O’Connor: Can she give an assurance to this House that dangerous ventilation issues at Solid Energy’s Spring Creek Mine will be monitored by a mine inspector with the necessary skills despite the fact that the one mine inspector who is employed has limited experience in gaseous underground coal mines?Hon KATE WILKINSON: I remind the member that the primary responsibility for workplace health and safety at the Solid Energy mine remains with Solid Energy. I can also say that Solid Energy was independently audited post the Pike River tragedy and there was found to be no imminent signs of danger.Hon Damien O’Connor: How can she give assurance of the safety of miners when she has done nothing to improve mine safety since the Pike River tragedy nor since the spontaneous ignition—that is explosion—in the Spring Creek Mine where ventilation problems continue to be a danger on 29 June?Hon KATE WILKINSON: I totally reject that assertion. I can say that it is interesting: the standards are the same as they were under Labour and the number of mining inspectors is the same as it was under Labour. Under Labour the framework if it was not appropriate then Labour amended it twice. It did not address mining whatsoever. There was a call for check inspectors yes but Labour also ignored that. It is a bit rich for Labour members to accuse us 9 years later of doing nothing.Hon Damien O’Connor: Will the Minister take responsibility now and as requested by the families of the Pike River victims initiate changes to the inspection of underground mines such as those previously rejected by her in October 2009 when she received advice to make changes that could remove unnecessary workplace risks for underground miners?Hon KATE WILKINSON: That 2009 report had recommendations relating to small mines. Pike River is not a small mine.