New national OHS laws open for comment

On 28 September, Tom Phillips AM, Safe Work Australia Council Chair, announced the commencement of the public comment period on the new model OHS legislation.

The development of national OHS laws has been driven by Safe Work Australia, in partnership with the Commonwealth, state and territory governments.

The Workplace Relations Ministers’ Council agreed to the release of the endorsed exposure draft and supporting documentation for public comment at its meeting on 25 September 2009.

Phillips said that this consultation process will ensure the new national OHS laws are relevant and applicable to all Australian workplaces: “Feedback from businesses, unions and workers will inform the development of the national OHS laws, which will lead to enhanced safety protections for workers and greater certainty for employers. This is an opportunity for Australian businesses and individuals to actively participate and voice their opinion on the new laws.”

The harmonisation of OHS laws will allow businesses to effectively manage workplace safety and work to one set of laws regardless of which jurisdiction they are operating in.

The suite of documents available for public comment includes a model Act, administrative Regulations and consultation Regulation Impact Statement (RIS). The RIS will allow individuals and organisations to comment on the potential costs and benefits of the proposed Regulations. The RIS has been prepared by Access Economics.

As part of the public comment process, Access Economics is surveying businesses across a range of sizes, industries and regions in an effort to obtain primary data on compliance costs and safety benefits.

The public comment period will be open for six weeks, closing on 9 November 2009.