NSW ‘a roadblock to reform’ on OHS harmonisation
New South Wales Government policy is acting as a “roadblock to reform” in the historic national occupational health and safety harmonisation process, NSW Minerals Council chief executive Nikki Williams said.
Need for emphasis on safety, not on wrestling with red tape
The national reform agenda was a giant leap forward for safety and productivity.
But the draconian stance taken in NSW resembled two giant steps back, she said.
NSW premier Kristina Keneally reneged last week on last December’s agreement to support the new Model Act.
“The NSW Government is saying that people accused of a breach of OHS laws should be assumed guilty,” Dr Williams said.
“People who willfully or negligently breach safety legislation should feel the full weight of the law.
“But the current OHS laws in NSW deprive accused persons and defendants of basic legal and human rights. Why should employers enjoy lesser legal rights than anyone else accused of an offence?”
Dr Williams said a national OHS framework is crucial to improving safety in workplaces across the country.
"It will eliminate the tangled web of red tape across State borders, particularly for people working in companies that operate in a number of jurisdictions," she said.
"The new Model Act will finally allow us to focus solely on safety and health, rather than wrestling with eight different compliance regimes."
