A Bill banning insurance against WHS penalties in the Commonwealth jurisdiction, and "lowering the bar" for safety convictions, has passed both houses of Parliament without amendment, despite one colourful senator describing it as "sneaky" and "dangerous" legislation, and others calling for provisions blocking vaccine mandates.
The national model WHS laws will be amended to include the offence of industrial manslaughter with a maximum fine on par with that in the country's only non-harmonised jurisdiction. Australia's WHS ministers agreed to the move yesterday, as well as to crack down on silica risks and explore an import ban on engineered stone.
Measuring, monitoring and reporting on psychosocial risk management is a major challenge and now a critical feature of any organisation's statutory safety obligations, senior safety experts say in offering tips on the process.
The new paid family and domestic violence (FDV) leave entitlements, commencing today, will encourage employers to act on their responsibilities to victims, create safer working environments for many employees and save lives, according to unions and an expert in the field.
The Commonwealth jurisdiction's Work Health and Safety Regulations have been amended to include a number of recommendations from Marie Boland's review of the national model WHS laws, and to clarify a range of clauses, including those affecting non-Commonwealth licensees.
The first Commonwealth Bill to implement recommendations from Marie Boland's review of the national model WHS laws has been introduced to the House of Representatives. The Bill also clarifies Safe Work Australia's information-gathering powers.
A major industrial relations Bill expressly banning workplace s-xual harassment has passed Federal Parliament. The development follows the release of the results of the Australian Human Rights Commission's fifth national survey on the prevalence of such harassment, which features both alarming and encouraging findings.
