OHS REPS @ WORK

Background

This campaign kit has been developed to bring workers up to speed on where the process is up to and the activities that they can get involved in to help keep the pressure on the Government  to provide a workers rights focused model OH&S law. The kit can be downloaded as a whole at the bottom of this page, OR if you prefer, the sections can be downloaded separately.

Content

The kit consists of background reading notes to help you get an overview of the harmonisation process.  There are also Speaker Notes, if you would like to run a 10 – 15 minute session on the key issues surrounding the campaign. Also included are some flyers that you can hand out or put up in your workplace, some ‘Action Lists’, and notes for a letter to send to your local members of state and federal parliament.  You can access the contact details of the Victorian members of the Federal Parliament on this webpage.

What is the ‘Harmonisation process?'

National Review of OH&S laws
On 4 April 2008, the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Julia Gillard, set up a National Review of OH&S laws in each of the States and has created a 3 person panel to review current laws operating in each of the States, territories and the Commonwealth, as well as seeking submissions from stakeholders and the general public on what a harmonised model OH&S law should be.  

The panel consists of Mr Robin Stewart – Crompton (former NOHSC CEO) as the chair, assisted by Mr Barry Sherriff (Freehills law firm) and Ms Stephanie Mayman (former UnionsWA and ACTU rep on NOHSC).

The panel is required to report back to the Workplace Relations Ministers Council, which consists of the Workplace Ministers of each of the States and Territories and the Federal Workplace Relations Minister (Julia Gillard) by October 31st 2008 on its recommendations on the priority issues of duty of care, nature and structure of offences and by January 30th 2009 with a complete list of recommendations on what the new model OH&S law should consist of.

The Agreed model OH&S Law will then be enacted by the Federal Government and each State and Territory as the relevant OH&S law in their jurisdiction and to be policed by their relevant OH&S Authority i.e. WorkSafe Victoria, SafeWork SA.