Final Edition 90, July 2011

WHS Laws Harmonisation

National Workplace Health and Safety Laws will come into effect on 1 January 2012.  For information on WHS harmonisation visit http://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/Pages/default.aspx

Safe Work Australia developed the Model Work Health and Safety (WHS) Act in 2009 To support the model WHS Act, Safe Work Australia released draft model Work Health and Safety Regulations, priority model Codes of Practice, an Issues Paper and Consultation Regulation Impact Statement.
Public comment on these documents closed in April and the new Regulations and Codes of Practice are timetabled to be released in July.
Safe Work Australia have updated their legislative fact sheets as of 17 June 2011, available here http://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/AboutSafeWorkAustralia/WhatWeDo/Publications/Pages/COP-Factsheet.aspx  
What is happening now?
The Commonwealth, state and territory governments have agreed to enact the model WHS Act and the model WHS Regulations by December 2011. State governments have commenced tabling WHS Bills in parliament with South Australia, New South Wales and Queensland leading the way.
Safe Work Australia is an Australian Government statutory agency established in 2009, with the primary responsibility of improving work health and safety and workers' compensation arrangements across Australia. For all of the documents mentioned above and for further information visit http://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/Pages/default.aspx

This page was generated on 14 July, 2011