Safe Work Australia is the principal national organisation driving policy development in work health and safety with the aim to achieve the best possible approach to health and safety for all Australian workers.
Safe Work Australia represents a partnership between the Commonwealth, state and territory governments, the Australian Council of Trade Unions, the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Australian Industry Group.
Tragically, in 2007-08 there were 232 work-related fatalities in Australia and 131 110 people made workers compensation claims resulting in one week or more absence from work. The transport and storage industry had the highest incidence rate, followed by the agriculture, forestry and fishing industry.
Effectively managing work health and safety issues not only ensures a safer workplace for all Australians, but has a very significant effect on performance and productivity. The estimated total economic cost of work-related injuries and illnesses to Australia's economy is $57.5 billion. This represents just less than six per cent of Australia's Gross Domestic Product.
Currently all states, territories and the Commonwealth are responsible for making and enforcing their own work health and safety laws. Although these draw on a similar approach for regulating workplaces, there are some differences in the application and detail of the laws. It is the inconsistency of the laws that make regulating work health and safety standards across Australia difficult.
This issue is now being addressed by the Council of Australian Governments through the signing of an Intergovernmental Agreement for Regulatory and Operational Reform in Occupational Health and Safety (IGA), which commits the Commonwealth, state and territory governments to the harmonisation of work health and safety laws.
An independent panel reviewed work health and safety laws in each jurisdiction and submitted the National Review into Model Occupational Health and Safety Laws, to the Workplace Relations Ministers Council (WRMC) in January 2009. Two comprehensive reports made recommendations on the optimal structure and content of a Model Work Health and Safety (WHS) Act that could be adopted in all jurisdictions by December 2011.
Safe Work Australia developed an exposure draft of the Model WHS Act which was released for public comment in September 2009. In response to the exposure draft, Safe Work Australia received 480 submissions from individuals, unions, businesses, industry associations, governments, academics and community organisations.
To ensure the model work health and safety laws will be relevant and applicable to all Australian workplaces, Safe Work Australia incorporated a number of proposals that were raised during the public consultation process into the re-drafted model WHS Act. WRMC endorsed the model WHS Act on 11 December 2009.
Safe Work Australia is currently developing model WHS Regulations, model Codes of Practice and a national compliance and enforcement policy to support the model WHS Act.
Businesses and individuals will have the opportunity to provide comments on the model WHS Regulations during a four month public consultation process, after they are approved by WRMC in late 2010.
The Commonwealth, state and territory governments have agreed to enact the model WHS Act and the model WHS Regulations by December 2011.
Some model Codes of Practice may be developed and implemented at the same time as the model WHS Regulations. However, development and implementation of further model Codes of Practice and guidance material will continue beyond December 2011.
When the harmonised work health and safety laws are in place across Australia, businesses and workers will be able to comply more easily with their work health and safety responsibilities because the requirements will largely be the same, regardless of how many states and territories they operate in.
Harmonising work health and safety laws in this way will cut red tape, boost business efficiency and provide greater certainty and protections for everyone.
For more information on the harmonisation of work health and safety laws, please visit www. safeworkaustralia.gov.au.
