JULIA Gillard introduced legislation into the Federal Parliament on 4 September 2008, which will establish the Safe Work Australia authority.
Safe Work Australia is a new national independent body for leading and improving occupational health and safety and workers’ compensation arrangements nationally.
The authority will have an initial budget of approximately $17m, and will be made up of representatives of the Commonwealth, hailing from every state and territory, as well as stakeholders from employers and unions.
The Federal Government will provide 50% of the budget, while states and territories will be responsible for the other half. Each state will contribute sums proportional to its population.
One of the first tasks to be undertaken by the new body will be to develop model OHS legislation for all jurisdictions as one of the steps toward harmonising safety regulations in Australia.
Add a comment