James Bidgood (Dawson, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak in favour of the Safe Work Australia Bill 2008 [No. 2]. It beggars belief that the member for Stirling went on about arrogance and about not listening. As the member over here just said to me, they seem to forget about Work Choices and how they steamrolled that through without much consultation. There was a certain amount of arrogance present in that debate. Anyway, moving on, I rise to speak in favour of the Safe Work Australia Bill 2008 [No. 2].

The government has set itself the task of creating a seamless national economy unhampered by unnecessary state duplications, overlaps and differences. We do this because we care about building a better Australia now and into the future. Occupational health and safety is a prime candidate for this sort of reform. It is a fact that more than 300 Australians are killed each year at work. Many more die as a result of work related disease. Each year over 140,000 Australians are seriously injured at work. The cost to our economy from death or injury has been estimated at $34 billion per year. The cost to those injured and to their families, workmates and friends is inestimable.

The establishment of Safe Work Australia is an essential part of the government’s strategy to improve safety outcomes and workers compensation arrangements across Australia. Since coming to office we have (1) undertaken a review of the Comcare scheme, (2) set up an independent panel of experts to conduct a national OHS review and (3) developed a landmark intergovernmental agreement with our state and territory counterparts to harmonise occupational health and safety legislation nationally. This bill, together with the intergovernmental agreement, ushers in a new era of cooperation and collaboration between the Commonwealth and the states and territories in this important area. It is a collaboration which will improve the health and safety of workers across Australia and reduce the complexity of regulation for businesses.

Safe Work Australia will replace the Australian Safety and Compensation Council, which was established by the Howard government as an advisory council whose functions were confined to coordinating, monitoring and promoting national efforts on health and safety and workers compensation. Safe Work Australia will (1) develop national policy relating to OHS and workers compensation, (2) prepare, monitor and revise model OHS legislation, (3) develop a compliance and enforcement policy to ensure nationally consistent regulatory approaches across all jurisdictions, (4) develop proposals relating to the harmonisation of workers compensation arrangements, (5) collect, analyse and publish occupational health and safety and workers compensation data and undertake and publish research and (6) drive national communications strategies to raise awareness of health and safety at work.

Occupational health and safety and workers compensation are too important to be neglected any longer. Workers’ lives and health are at stake, and so too is the efficiency of our economy. Occupational health and safety and workers compensation reform will increase profitability and productivity and better protect the lives and health of Australians. The purpose of the Safe Work Australia Bill 2008 [No. 2] is to establish Safe Work Australia as an independent Commonwealth statutory body to improve occupational health and safety outcomes and workers compensation arrangements across Australia.

The bill will play a pivotal role in realising the government’s commitment to working cooperatively with state and territory governments to improve occupational health and safety outcomes and workers compensation arrangements in Australia by empowering Safe Work Australia to (1) develop national policy in respect of OHS and workers compensation, (2) prepare model OHS legislation and model OHS codes of practice for approval by the Workplace Relations Ministers Council and adoption by the Commonwealth, the states and territories, (3) develop a compliance and enforcement policy to ensure that a nationally consistent approach is taken to compliance and enforcement, (4) develop proposals relating to the harmonisation of workers compensation arrangements across all jurisdictions and proposals for national workers compensation arrangements for employers with workers in more than one jurisdiction, (5) build expertise across OHS laws and workers compensation schemes that will be readily accessible across jurisdictions and industries and will reduce the complexity and costs for businesses, including businesses that operate across state boundaries and (6) undertake data collection and research and publish findings to ensure that all jurisdictions and industries have access to up-to-date and industry specific information that will enable employers and workers to adopt practices that will reduce instances of risk and injury in workplaces across Australia.

Safe Work Australia will be a reform focused body with the power to make recommendations directly to the Workplace Relations Ministers Council. Safe Work Australia will be funded by both the Commonwealth, 50 per cent, and the states and territories, also 50 per cent. The bill will also create and maintain mechanisms for review and revision of the effectiveness of Safe Work Australia in performing its functions. This will ensure that the body is active and operating efficiently and responsively in meeting its strategic and operational goals.

Finally, one of Safe Work Australia’s primary functions will be to develop national policy relating to OHS and workers compensation. National policy developed by Safe Work Australia will be used to drive harmonisation initiatives such as the adoption and implementation of model OHS legislation and consistent enforcement and compliance strategies, and the harmonisation of workers compensation arrangements across the Commonwealth, the states and the territories. I conclude by commending this bill to the House.

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