UnionsACT welcomed today’s introduction of the Work Health and Safety Amendment Bill 2019, a reform bill to establish Worksafe ACT as an independent safety regulator.
The introduction of the Bill today comes after more than three years of campaigning by unions in Canberra calling for a stronger, more independent regulator. The bill implements the recommendations of the 2018 Independent Review into Worksafe.
The following quotes are attributable to Alex White, Secretary of UnionsACT:
“UnionsACT welcomes the introduction of reforms to improve Worksafe, after many years of highlighting its shortcomings.
“Since 2015, we’ve had the ludicrous situation where the dog licensing and motorboat licensing regulator was also responsible for the workplace safety of hundreds of thousands of working people.
“The establishment of a fully independent work safety regulator should see immediate improvements in WorkSafe ACT’s ability to enforce the law and reduce workplace injuries.
“The ACT continues to be one of the worst performing jurisdictions when it comes to worker safety, and the reforms introduced by the Labor Government shows they’re listening to the concerns raised by working people.
“UnionsACT congratulates the Minister for establishing a dedicated workplace safety regulator whose sole focus will be ensuring working people have safe workplaces.”
