Last week, the Australian government announced some important Changes In Australian Safety Legislation. As you may already know, on the 3rd of April 2009, the Workplace Relations’ Ministers Council (WRMC) recognised the creation of the Safe Work Council and the independent body that will support the Council known as Safe Work Australia. This was the result of an Intergovernmental Agreement (which was signed by the Council of Australian governments in July 2008) which formalised cooperation between all levels of governments to harmonise Occupational Health & Safety (OHS) legislation.
Recent Developments
Last week on the 7th September 2009, the Australian Senate passed without amendments the Safe Work Australia Bill 2008 which means that Safe Work Australia will now become the main independent body to govern occupational health and safety across Australia. The timeframe for this body to become operational is November 2009. You can find more information this important development on the Safe Work Australia website.
What This Means For You
The harmonisation of OHS legislation in Australia effectively means that construction safety legislation will also be harmonised. All current state and territory legislation will become void as the new independent national agency, Safe Work Australia, begins to review and modify OHS, compensation, and other material.
For the time being, the new agency has not become operational so this means that OHS legislation is state-based. However, when the new agency comes into operation and starts making changes, you can rest assured that this blog will keep you up to date.
Adapting to Changes In Australian Safety Legislation is the best way to go because you certainly do not want to be resisting these.
