Labor unveils workplace health and safety policy
24 October 2007The Shadow Workplace Relations Minister, Julia Gillard, has today released Labor’s workplace health and safety policy at the National Safety Conference, currently being held in Sydney.
The policy deals with key aspects of federal occupational health and safety, including worker's compensation, the reform of Comcare, further harmonisation of forms and administrative processes, and the reduction of ‘red tape’. A copy of the policy is now available on the Labor website.
Importantly, this formal policy confirms that Labor will not legislate for a national occupational health and safety scheme, but will rather work towards a nationally-consistent workplace health and safety policy. The reference to ‘financial incentives to reward state and territory governments that implement reforms’ made by Ms Gillard at the Safety Institute of Australia seminar earlier this year has not formed part of this formal written policy.
Labor is also critical of the progress being made by the Australian Safety and Compensation Council on the development of occupational health and safety and worker's compensation policy, and intends to replace this with a new body ‘empowered to direct policy development’.
Finally, the policy provides that a new Rudd Government will ‘impose a moratorium on companies seeking a licence to self insure under Comcare’. While this moratorium is in place, Labor propose to develop a memorandum of understanding between the Federal and State Governments to ensure ‘that Comcare and state based authorities are working cooperatively’.
We assume the proposed ‘moratorium’ means that there will be a moratorium on any new declarations of eligibility by a Labor Minister for Workplace Relations, rather than a restriction on the granting of licences for eligible corporations. Responsibility for granting those licences rests with the Safety Rehabilitation and Compensation Commission—an independent commission.
We will continue to review the development of the occupational health and safety policies of both major parties in the lead up to the election and will provide updates on any key announcements.
For more information regarding the new Labor policy or the progress of national occupational health and safety harmonisation to date, please contact
61 3 9288 1462