In the most significant change to Victoria's dangerous goods framework in more than 40 years, State Minister for WorkSafe and the TAC, Ben Carroll has introduced the Occupational Health and Safety Amendment (Dangerous Goods) Bill 2026 and Dangerous Goods Transport Bill 2026 to Parliament. The legislative overhaul will modernise the regulation of dangerous goods and strengthen WorkSafe’s ability to enforce compliance with dangerous goods laws.
Dangerous goods are chemicals that carry inherent risks to persons or property, such as goods that are corrosive, flammable, combustible, explosive, oxidising or have other hazardous properties. Failures in the safe storage, handling, transporting and disposal of dangerous goods have the potential to harm not just workers, but the surrounding communities and environment.
The first of the introduced Bills will insert sections relating to the handling of dangerous goods and explosives in workplaces into the Victorian OHS Act. It will make it an offence to risk serious injury or death involving dangerous goods.
The second bill will create a standalone statute, the Dangerous Goods Transport Act, to regulate the transport of dangerous goods by road, rail, boat and inland waterways.
Both Bills were informed by the Final Report of the Independent Review of the Dangerous Goods Act 1985 by Andrew Palmer KC, released in October 2022. The review was commissioned following several major chemical fires in Melbourne, including a 2019 Campbellfield chemical fire that injured two workers, blanketed surrounding suburbs in smoke and took four days to extinguish.
You can learn more about Dangerous Goods at our Dangerous Goods - OHS Reps page. WorkSafe Victoria also publishes information about Dangerous Goods to guide and advise employers on how to ensure workers are safe when using, handling, storing or transporting dangerous goods.
Read more: Stronger Dangerous Goods Laws To Protect Victorians | Premier
OHS (Dangerous Goods) Bill 2026 - Explanatory Memorandum and Dangerous Goods Transport Bill 2026 - Explanatory Memorandum