Many submissions to national workplace safety review

The National Review into Model Occupational Health and Safety Laws has received 242 submissions, including from employers, industry bodies, unions, governments and government agencies, professional bodies, academics, and individuals.

Robin Stewart-Crompton, who is chairing the review panel, said, ‘We greatly appreciate the considerable efforts made by so many people around Australia to make submissions. Such a high response underlines the widespread recognition that improved regulation will be an important element in securing better OHS outcomes.’

Mr Stewart-Crompton said, ‘We will analyse the submissions and discuss the key issues in consultations with the parties over the coming weeks. This will assist the panel in making its reports to the Workplace Relations Ministers Council about a model OHS law’.

Ends

Media Contact: Samantha Stebbings (02) 6121 9162 / 0412 008 109

Background

• As an initial step in developing a model OHS Act, a national review of existing OHS laws is underway. The review began on 4 April 2008 when the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, the Hon Julia Gillard MP, announced the appointment of the expert panel that is conducting the review.
• All governments have agreed to work cooperatively to harmonise OHS legislation by 2011. The Inter-Governmental Agreement for Regulatory and Operational Reform in Occupational Health and Safety was entered into at the COAG meeting on 3 July 2008 (see http://www.coag.gov.au/). 
• The review is focusing on issues in principal OHS Acts that need to be harmonised to promote safe workplaces, to increase certainty for duty holders, to reduce compliance costs for business and to provide greater clarity for regulators without compromising safety outcomes. 
• The panel is taking a consultative approach and, as well as holding many discussions around Australia, at the end of May, the panel invited written submissions. These have been published on the review website at http://www.nationalohsreview.gov.au.
• The panel is to make 2 reports to WRMC (in October 2008 and January 2009). The panel will make recommendations on the optimal structure and content of a model OHS Act that can be adopted in all jurisdictions. The panel will be guided by the submissions, its discussions with interested persons and research. 
• The specific areas covered by the review are set out in the Terms of Reference, which is available on the review website, as are profiles of the panel members.