Minister rejects Abetz's 16-day harmonisation claim; WA to eliminate "uncertainty" over workers' comp insurance for contractors; and Comcare releases guides on safety for workers travelling overseas.
SWA releases harmonisation Q&A on volunteers; NT employers fined over Canadian worker's death; Queensland Govt warns against mine-safety-levy cut, is accused of rushing harmonised WHS laws; Western Australia's new workers' comp dispute system gets underway; and WorkSafe WA releases FIFO fatigue alert.
Commonwealth passes harmonisation Bill; Police to "think twice" after workers' comp changes progress; New alert issued on OHS scams; and Employers plead guilty after guarding failure and truck fire.
The organisations and sectors that will be allowed an additional year to transition to the model WHS Regulations are yet to be determined, leaving employers with little choice but to prepare for a 1 January 2012 commencement date, according to OHS lawyer Michael Tooma.
Guide to harmonised Regulations released; South Australia marks Asbestos Awareness Week by retaining strong monitoring laws; ACT appoints new Industrial Relations Minister; and Alert issued after Queensland farmer's death.
Employer groups have heaved a collective sigh of relief after the Federal Government announced that businesses in some sectors would be given an extra 12 months to transition to the harmonised Work Health and Safety Regulations.
Workplace Relations Minister Chris Evans has announced that businesses in some sectors will be able to delay complying with the harmonised WHS Regulations for 12 months, in a move that has been cheered - somewhat ironically - by the Federal Opposition.
Federal Labor MPs have urged opponents of the model WHS Act not to forget the workers who "fall through the cracks" under current safety laws, but the Liberal Party has warned that the absence of the word "control" in the definition of "reasonably practicable" could create a legal vacuum.
